UNIVERSITY  of  CALIFORNIA 


LOS  ANGKLES 
UBRARY 


A,  N.  SULLIVAN. 


THE    MAPLESON    MEMOIRS 


VOL.    I. 


1848-1888 


IN   TWO   VOLUMES 


WITH   PORTBAIT   OF  THE    AUTHOR 


VOL  I 


CHICAGO,    NEW  YORK,    AND   SAN   FRANCISCO: 

BELFORD,    CLARKE   &  CO., 

PUBLISHERS. 

1888 
[All  riffhf.t  rexerr«d\. 


107967 


COPYRIGHT,  1SSS,  BY 
JAMES  H.  MAPLESON 


THOWt 

»«l»Tr»0  AND  •OOOWftMNO  COWAMT, 
Nf  W  TOUIC. 


MUSfC 
LIBRARY 

ML 


PBEFACE 


HAVING  been  repeatedly  urged  by  numerous  friends 

~  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  to  set  forth  a  few  of 

^          tie  difficulties  attending  the  career  of  an  impresario, 

who,  during  the  last  thirty  years,  has  fought  mauy 

operatic  battles,  I  have  undertaken  the  task,  having 

at  the   present   moment   for  the  first   time  in  my 

*          recollection    a   few    weeks    of    comparative    repose 

before  again  renewing  my  lyrical  campaigns. 
,o  I  willingly  sat  down  to  the  work,  trusting  that  an 

account  of  the  few  partial  defeats  and  the  many 
brilliant  victories  incident  to  my  life  may  be  found 
interesting. 

This  being  my  first  appearance  as  an  author,  I 
^  am  naturally  unpractised   in  the  artifices  of  style 

^  familiar  to  more  experienced  hands. 

-^\  Some  of  my  plain  statements  of  facts  will  not,  I 

fear,  be  fully  appreciated  by  the  personages  to 
whom  they  refer;  and  in  case  they  should  feel 
offended  by  my  frankness,  I  ask  their  pardon  before- 
hand, convinced  that  they  will  readily  accord  it. 

J.  H.  MAPLESON. 

Junior  Carlton  Club, 

2lst  September,  1833. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Qualifications  for  the  Career  of  Impresario — My  First  Appear- 
ance as  Violinist — Debut  as  a  Vocalist — Difficulties  as  a 
Critic — Engaged  at  Lodi  and  Verona — Radical  Operation 
on  my  Throat — I  start  as  Musical  Agent — Meeting  with 
Mr.  E.  T.  Smith — Management  of  Drury  Lane  .  pp.  1-12 

CHAPTER  II. 

Injunction  against  the  Birds  on  the  Trees — Drury  Lane  Season 
of  1859 — Debuts  of  Victoire  Balfe,  Mongini,  and  Guar- 
ducci — My  Contralto  Marries  a  Duke — The  Duke  and 
Duchess  at  Naples pp.  13-22 

CHAPTER  III. 

Nocturnal  Negotiations — Reopening  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre 
— Sayers  and  Heenan  Patronize  the  Opera — English  and 
Italian  Opera  Combined — Smith  and  his  Speculations — 
Discovery  of  Adelina  Patti  —  My  Management  of 
the  Lyceum  .......  pp.  23-39 


nii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

At  Her  Majesty's  Theatre— Verdi's  Cantata— Ginglini  at  the 
Seaside — Pollio  and  the  Drum-stick — An  Operatic  Con- 
•piracy — Confusion  of  the  Conspirators  .  .  pp.  40-57 

CHAPTER  V. 

Running  over  a  Tenor — Titiens  in  Italy — Cashing  a  Cheque  at 
Naples — A  Neapolitan  Ball — Approaching  a  Minister- 
Return  to  London  ......  pp.  58*65 

CHAPTER  VI.. 

Production  of  Gounod's  Faust — Apathy  of  the  British  Public — 
A  Managerial  Device — Damask  Crumb  Cloth  and  Chintz 
Hangings — Heroic  Attitude  of  a  Dying  Tenor — Prayers  to 
a  Portmanteau  .......  pp.  66-80 

CHAPTER  VH. 

Garibaldi  Visits  the  Opera — Giuglini's  Trouble  at  St.  Peters- 
burg— Ginglini  Visited  by  Titiens — Alarm  of  Fire — 
Production  of  Medea  —  Grisi's  Last  Appearance  —  An 
Enraged  Tenor pp.  81-98 

CHAPTER  Vin. 

Payment  after  Performance — Discovery  of  Madge  Robertson — 
Mario  and  the  Sheriff — Generosity  of  the  Great  Tenor — 
Debut  of  Christine  Nilsson — Destruction  of  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre — A  Great  Philanthropist  .  .  .  pp.  99-117 


CONTENTS.  be 

CHAPTER  IX. 

y 

Proposal  for  an  Operatic  Uir.on — Titiens  in  Dublin — Her 
Services  as  a  Pacificator — Autumn  Season  at  Covent 
Garden — The  Combination  Season — Immense  Success — 
Costa's  Despotism — An  Operatic  Conspiracy — Lucca  and 
her  Husbands  »•«•*.  pp.  118-135 

CHAPTER  X. 

Gye's  Fraternal  Embrace — Law-suits  Interminable — Dissolution 
of  Partnership — Return  to  Drury  Lane — Arrival  of 
Albani — Debut  of  Cainpanini — The  Annual  Onslaughts 
of  Mr.  Gye pp.  136-149 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Adelina's  Successor — A  Prima  Donna's  Marriage  Negotiations 
— Pounds  v.  Guineas — Nilsson  and  the  Shah — Production 
of     Lohengrin  —  Salvini's    Performances     and    Profits  — 
Marguerite  Chapuy — Irony  of  an  Earl         .     pp.  150-174 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  National  Opera-house — Foundation  Difficulties — Primaeval 
Remains — Titiens  Lays  the  First  Brick — The  Duke  of 
Edinburgh  the  First  Stone — The  Opera  and  Parliament — 
Oar  Recreation  Rooms  .  .  .  pp.  175-183 


x  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

First  Visit  to  America — Making  Money  out  of  Shakespeare — 
Chattel-ton's  Secret  Agents — Bidding  for  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre — Illness  of  Titiena — Gerster's  Success — Produc- 
tion of  Carmen pp.  184-198 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

First  American  Campaign  —  Difficulties  of  Embarkation — 
Concert  on  Board — Dangerous  Illness  of  Gerster — Opera 
on  Wheels  —  The  "Dressing-room  Row"  —  A  Learned 
Throat  Doctor — Gerster  Sings  before  her  Judge — The 
Pianoforte  War — Our  Hurried  Departure  .  pp.  199-219 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Reception  of  a  Tenor — Belocca  and  Lady  Spencer — Marimon's 
Superstitions  —  Her  Lovesick  Maid  —  An  Encouraging 
Telegram — Marimon  in  the  Cathedral — Disappearance  of 
a  Teuor pp.  220-236 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Sir  Michael  and  his  Cheque — Six  Minutes'  Bankruptcy — 
Success  of  Lohengrin — Production  of  Mejistofele — Return 
to  New  York — Lohengrin  under  Difficulties — Elsa's  Tails 
— Cincinnati  Opera  Festival  .  .  .pp.  237-253 


CONTENTS.  xi 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Production  of  Jl  Einnegato  —  RaveJJi!s_--Qperatic  Theory—  ~ 
Negotiations  with  Covent  Garden,  "  Limited  " — A  Search 
for  a  Prima  Donna  —  Failure  of  Patti's  Concerts  — 
Cincinnati  Opera  Festival  of  '82  —  Patti's  Indisposi- 
tion   pp.  254-272 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

I  Engage  Patti — My  Military  Experience — Influencing  Electors 
— Operatic  Joint  Stock  Company — Objections  to  English 
Monopoly — Patti  in  New  York  .  .  .pp.  273-291 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Non- Arrival  of  Scalchi — General  Indisposition — King  Kalakaua 
Ennobles  Patti — Ravelli  Consults  his  Dog — The  Company 
Vaccinated — Patti  Eaten  by  Mice — Arrival  of  Albani — 
Cincinnati  Opera  Festival  of  '83  —  Freedom  of  the 
City .pp.  292-30H 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Galassi  Distinguishes  Himself — Politeness  of  Prime  Donne — 
English  Welcome  to  Canada  —  Concert  at  the  White 
House — Value  of  Patti's  Notes — Phantom  Ship  Wrecked 
—  Nils  ;on's  Contract  —  Patti'a  Contract  —  Return  to 
England  ..».,..  pp.  309-327 


CHAPTER  I. 

QUALIFICATIONS  FOE  THE  CAREER  o»  IMPRESARIO — MY 
FIKST  APPEARANCE  AS  VIOLINIST — DE"BUT  AS  A  VOCALIST 
— DIFFICULTIES  AS  A  CRITIC — ENGAGED  AT  LODI  AND 
VERONA  —  EADICAL  OPERATION  ON  MY  THROAT — I 
START  AS  MUSICAL  AGENT — MEETING  WITH  MR.  E.  T. 
SMITH — MANAGEMENT  OF  DRURY  LANE. 

BEFORE  beginning  my  thirty  years'  career  as  an 
operatic  manager,  I  had  already  had  a  large  and 
varied  experience  of  music  in  the  character  of 
student,  critic,  violinist,  vocalist,  composer,  concert 
director,  and  musical  agent.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen I  entered  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music,  where 
the  Principal  was  at  that  time  Cipriani  Potter.  I 
took  as  my  first  study  the  violin,  my  professor 
being  Watson,  under  whom  I  made  good  progress. 
Harmony  I  studied  under  Lucas.  My  compositions 
are  limited  to  two  pianoforte  pieces  and  a  song, 
which  I  published  soon  after  leaving  the  Academy, 
where  I  remained  about  two  years. 

I  made  my  first  public  appearance  among  the 
first  violins  at  Her  Majesty's  Theatre,  where,  during 

VOL  I.  B 


2  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

the  Jenny  Lind  seasons  of  1848  and  a  portion  of 
1849,  I  plnyed  from  the  same  desk  as  Rcmcriyi,  the 
famous  Hungarian  violinist.  Remenyi,  too,  shared 
my  rooms,  and  often  kept  me  up  at  night  by  his 
loud  and  passionate  declamations  on  the  subject  of 
Hungarian  independence,  and  of  liberty  generally. 
He  had  taken  part  in  the  revolutionary  movement  of 
1848,  and  on  its  collapse  had  flrd  for  his  life  to 
foreign  parts.  Fortunately,  he  had  his  violin  to 
depend  upon;  and  it  was  in  London,  I  believe, 
that  he  first  turned  his  remarkable  talent  to  prac- 
tical and  pecuniary  account. 

Mr.  [afterwards  Sir  Michael]  Costa  had  left  Her 
Majesty's  Theatre  two  years  previously  to  take  part 
in  establishing  the  Royal  Italian  Opera  at  Covent 
Garden,  and  the  new  conductor  at  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre  was  our  eminent  composer  M.  W.  Balfe. 
It  had  already  occurred  to  me  to  quit  the  compara- 
tive obscurity  of  the  orchestra  for  a  brilliant  posi- 
tion on  the  stage ;  and  this  idea  was  encouraged  by 
Balfe,  who,  during  the  intervals  of  operatic  busi- 
ness, gave  me  singing  lessons.  I  also  received 
instruction  from  Gardoni,  the  tenor,  and  Belletti, 
the  baritone.  As  I  had  a  tenor  voice,  Gardoni's 
lessons  were  particularly  useful  to  me ;  and  I  was 
led  to  believe  by  each  of  my  distinguished  pro- 
fessors that  I  had  in  me  the  making  of  a  primo 
tenore. 

Long  before  I  had  completed  my  studies  as  a 
vocalist,  an  opportunity,  indeed  a  necessity,  for 


AN  IMPRESARIO'S  QUALIFICATIONS.  3 

making  my  first  appearance  as  a  singer  presented 
itself.  Not  to  remain  idle  during  the  long  months 
separating  one  opera  season  from  another,  I  took 
out  in  the  English  Provinces  in  1840  a  company  in 
which  were  included  Sontag,  Calzolari,  Belletti, 
Lablache,  and  the  famous  pianist  Thalberg.  On  one 
occasion,  after  giving  a  concert  at  Salisbury,  the 
whole  party  paid  a  visit  to  Stonehenge,  where 
Sontag  sang  "  Casta  diva,"  and  Lablache  a  portion 
of  Orovrso's  solo  music  among  the  Dniidical 
remains,  so  suggestive  of  the  opera  of  Norma. 
I  have  now  before  me  a  handsome  little  clock  which 
Madame  Sontag  presented  to  me  at  the  end  of  the 
tour.  It  is  inscribed  :  "  To  J.  H.  Mapleson  from 
Madame  Sontag  (Countess  Rossi)."  I  may  mention 
in  connection  with  this  charming  vocalist,  whose 
good  nature  and  good  temper  were  on  a  par  with  her 
talent,  a  peculiarity  which  will  perhaps  astonish 
some  of  the  concert  singers  of  the  present  day. 
Instead  of  avoiding,  according  to  the  modern 
practice,  the  task  of  either  beginning  or  ending  a 
concert,  she  was  ready  and  even  anxious  to  sing  both 
the  first  piece  and  the  last.  "  If  I  do  not  begin  the 
concert  people  will  not  come  in  time,"  she  would 
say ;  "  and  if  I  do  not  end  it  they  will  go  away 
before  it  is  over." 

In  the  autumn  of  1850  I  took  on  tour  a  company 
which  included  Roger  and  Madame  Viardot,  the 
famous  representatives  of  "  John  of  Leyden  "  and 
"  Fides  *'  in  Le  Proj.j/tete.  Meyerbeer  was  in  constant 


4  THE  MAPLESOK  MEMOIRS. 

correspondence  with  them.  To  avoid  the  expense 
of  postage,  he  used  to  send  his  music  written  on 
such  fine  paper  that  to  be  able  to  read  it  with  any 
ease  it  was  necessary  to  place  it  on  a  back-ground  of 
ordinary  writing  paper. 

In  a  subsequent  tour  my  leading  tenor  was  one 
night  for  some  reason  or  other  not  forthcoming. 
There  was  no  one  to  replace  him,  and  as  I  was 
myself  a  tenor  I  plunged  boldly  into  the  gap.  I 
sang  with  success,  but  it  occurred  to  me  even  as  I 
was  singing  that  I  had  need  of  further  instruction. 
On  my  return  to  London  I  called  on  Sims  Reeves, 
and  sang  to  him ;  when  he  at  once  recommended 
me  to  go  to  Milan,  and  place  myself  under  Signer 
Mazzucato,  director  and  principal  professor  of  sing- 
ing at  the  celebrated  Conservatorio.  Reeves  was 
kind  enough  to  give  me  a  letter  to  Mazzucato,  under 
whom  he  had  himself  studied,  with  results  which 
need  not  here  be  set  forth. 

Before  taking  farewell  of  England  in  order  to  go 
through  a  three  years'  course  of  training  in  Italy  I 
did  a  little  work  as  musical  critic  for  a  journal 
called  the  Atlas,  which  for  years  past  has  ceased  to 
exist,  but  which,  at  the  time  I  speak  of,  enjoyed 
a  good  reputation,  especially  in  connection  with 
literary  and  artistic  matters.  The  proprietor,  and 
ostensible  editor,  was  a  well-known  journalist,  Mr. 
George  Francis,  author  of  "  The  Orators  of  the 
Age,"  a  series  of  papers  which  made  some  stir 
when,  before  appearing  in  book-form,  they  were 


DIFFICULTIES  OF  A  CRITIC,  5 

published  in  the  pages  of  Frazer's  Magazine.  Mr. 
Francis  had,  I  believe,  gained  his  experience  of  our 
British  orators  in  the  gallery  of  the  House  of 
Commons,  where  he  was  for  many  years  one  of  the 
principnl  reporters  of  the  Times  staff.  Mr.  Francis 
was  also  a  brilliant  foreign  correspondent,  and  it 
afterwards  became  a  speciality  of  his  to  assist  and 
preside  at  the  birth  of  new  journals.  His  fee  as 
accoucheur  on  these  occasions  was,  I  believe,  a  con- 
siderable one.  After  a  time  nothing  would  satisfy 
him  but  to  have  a  paper  of  his  own.  He  bought 
the  Atlas,  and  while  entrusting  most  of  the  editorial 
work  to  a  Mr.  Joyce,  who  was  my  immediate  chief, 
appropriated  to  himself  all  free  admissions  that 
rerched  the  office.  Accordingly,  when  it  became 
my  duty  to  write  an  account  of  the  first  production 
of  Le  Prophete  at  the  Royal  Italian  Opera,  I  received 
instructions  from  my  editor  about  sending  in  "copy," 
but  was  not  furnished  with  a  stall.  I  was  to 
manage,  somehow  or  other,  to  hear  the  opera,  and 
I  was  in  any  case  to  send  in  a  notice  of  it.  I 
enfeavoured  to  buy  a  ticket,  but  everything  was 
sold. 

In  my  despair  I  chanced  to  meet  the  American 
philanthropist,  Mr  George  Peabody,  well  known  by 
his  charitable  deeds,  and  who  hastened  on  this  occa- 
sion to  perform  a  good  work  towards  me.  He 
assured  me  that  the  difficulty  w,hich  troubled  me 
was  not  so  great  as  I  imagined.  It  was  now  late 
in  the  afternoon.  The  performance  was  to  take 


6  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

place  that  evening,  and  Mr.  Peabody  suggested  that 
first  of  all  the  best"  thing  I  could  do  was  to  dine 
with  him  at  the  "  Hummums."  Thence,  after 
finishing  a  bottle  of  excellent  port,  we  walked 
quietly  to  the  gallery  entrance  of  the  opera — at  that 
time  under  the  piazza,  next  door  to  the  Bedford 
Hotel — bought  our  tickets,  and  found  places  in  the 
very  front  row. 

Soon,  however,  I  was  to  start  for  Milan,  where, 
studying  constantly  with  Professor  Mazzucato,  I 
spent  nearly  three  years.  Then  an  engagement  was 
offered  to  me  at  Lodi,  where  I  was  to  make  ray  first 
appearance  on  any  stage  as  "  Carlo  "  in  Linda  di 
Chamonni. 

Manners  and  customs  at  the  Lodi  Opera-house 
were  at  that  time  rather  peculiar.  Refreshments  of 
all  kinds  used  to  be  served  in  the  audience  depart- 
ment between  the  acts.  Every  box  was  furnished 
with  a  little  kitchen  for  cooking  macaroni,  baking 
or  frying  pastry,  and  so  on.  The  wine  of  the 
country  was  drunk  freely,  not  out  of  glasses,  but  in 
classical  fashion  from  bowls.  Attired  in  the  brilliant 
uniform  of  my  part  I  was  in  the  middle  of  the  pit 
draining  one  of  these  bowls,  when  suddenly  the 
signal  was  given  for  the  rising  of  the  curtain.  All 
seemed  lost.  But  I  hurried  back  to  the  stage,  and 
fortunately  was  not  very  late  for  my  entry. 

My  success  in  Lodi  was  such  that  I  was  offered 
four  pounds  a  month  to  sing  at  Verona.  Here  my 
first  duty  was  to  replace  Bettini  (not  the  husband  of 


ENGAGED  AS  A  VOCALIST.  7 

Madame  Trebelli  Bettini,  but  the  dramatic  tenor  of 
that  name)  in  the  important  part  of  "  Manrico."  If 
Trovatore  had  but  lately  been  brought  out,  and  was 
then  in  the  first  period  of  its  success.  I  had  never 
heard  the  work,  but  the  tenor  part  had  been  sent  to 
me,  and  I  had  to  master  it  in  four  days,  my  final 
study  being  made  in  the  diligence,  with  no  musical 
instrument  to  aid  me  except  a  tuning-fork.  I 
studied  the  part  all  day  and,  by  the  light  of  a 
candle,  all  night,  and  before  I  reached  Verona 
knew  it  perfectly.  The  prima  donna  of  the  cast 
was  Mcllle.  Lotti,  afterwards  known  in  London  and 
elsewhere  as  Madame  Lotti  Delia  Santa,  the  second 
part  of  her  name  being  derived  from  her  husband, 
Signor  Delia  Santa,  who,  during  my  stay  at  Verona, 
played  the  part  of  the  "Count  di  Luna"  to  the 
"Leonora"  of  his  future  wife.  Bettini  married  a 
sister  o.  Max  Maretzek,  afterwards  well  known  as 
conductor  and  impresario  in  the  United  States.  I 
made  a  sufficiently  good  impression  at  Verona  to 
cause  Signor  Bettini,  who  on  my  arrival  was 
seriously  ill,  to  get  perfectly  well  after  I  had  made 
but  two  appearances. 

Returning  to  London  early  in  1854,  I  gave  a 
grand  concert  with  the  following  eminent  artists  : 
— Mdme.  Clara  Novello,  Miss  Dolby,  Mr.  Sims 
Reeves,  Herr  Formes,  and  Mdme.  Arabella  God- 
dard.  I  also  took  part  in  it.  My  throat,  how- 
ever, had  become  affected,  and  after  I  had 
been  very  thoroughly  operated  upon  by  Dr. 


8  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Billing,  I  found  myself  deprived  alike  of  tonsils, 
uvula,  and  voice. 

My  path  had  now  been  marked  out  for  me.  For 
the  future  I  might  bo  a  musical  agent,  <i  concert 
director,  or  an  impresario  ;  but  not  a  vocnlist. 

In  1 855  the  two  principal  members  of  the  touring 
party  I  was  directing  were  Miss  Hayes  and  Mdrne. 
Gassier. 

In  the  year  1856  I  started  a  musical  agency  in 
the  Haymarket,  the  first  established  in  London. 
Both  Mr.  Lumley  and  Mr.  Gye  applied  to  me  for 
singers.  As  I  was  well  known  in  Italy,  numbers  of 
artists  inscribed  their  names  on  my  books.  I  did  a 
good  business,  and  was  making  a  large  income.  My 
business  relations  bound  me  more  particularly  to 
Mr.  Lumley,  the  manager  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre, 
and  he  had  enough  confidence  in  me  to  entrust  me 
with  the  work  of  adapting  Balfe's  Bohemian  Girl 
to  the  Italian  stage.  This  was  about  the  time  of  the 
gala  performances  in  honour  of  the  marriage  of  the 
Crown  Prince  of  Prussia  (late  Emperor  of  Germany) 
to  the  Princess  Victoria  of  England,  when  a  number 
of  Shakespearian  representations  were  given  at  Her 
Majesty's  Theatre,  with  Mr.  Phelps  in  the  principal 
parts. 

No  Italian  version  of  Balfe's  work  existed  pre- 
viously, and  I  received  for  mine  the  sum  of  £50. 
Operatic  translations  are  often  severely  judged,  but 
it  is  no  easy  matter  to  adapt  the  words  of  a  song 
BO  that,  while  other  more  obvious  requirements  are 


ADAPTING  THE  BOHEMIAN  GIRL.  & 

duly  fulfilled,  the  accents  shall  fall  in  exact  accord- 
ance with  the  composer's  music. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  year  (1858)  the  late  E. 
T.  Smith,  then  lessee  of  the  Theatre  Royal,  Drury 
Lane,  called  upon  me  at  my  office,  in  the  Hay- 
market,  requesting  me  to  aid  him  in  the  formation 
of  an  Italian  Opera  Company,  which  he  wished  to 
secure  for  his  theatre  during  the  coming  summer 
months.  He  had  so  many  enterprises  on  hand  that 
he  asked  me  to  undertake  the  superintendence  and 
management  of  the  Italian  Opera  season  he  had  in 
view.  I  explained  to  him  that  the  business  I  was 
then  carrying  on  required  all  my  care  and  attention, 
and  that  it  was  far  more  profitable  than  any  interest 
he  could  offer  me  in  his  contemplated  enterprise. 

But  won  over  by  his  solicitations,  and  influenced 
by  my  love  of  the  divine  art,  I  consented,  and  found 
myself  at  once  drawn  into  the  artistic  vortex. 
My  knowledge  and  experience  fitted  me  well  enough 
for  the  conduct  of  the  undertaking,  which,  however, 
I  considered  rather  a  hazardous  one. 

On  the  one  hand  would  be  ranged  against  me  Her 
Majesty's  Theatre,  under  the  late  Mr.  Lumley's 
able  management,  with  such  artists  as  Piccolomini, 
Alboni,  Giuglini,  and  the  new  and  successful 
The'rese  Titiens,  who  had  already  fully  captured 
London  ;  and  on  the  other  hand  the  Royal  Italian 
Opera,  Covent  Garden,  newly  rebuilt,  under  the 
skilful  direction  of  Mr.  Gye,  with  Grisi,  Mario, 
Costa,  and  a  host  of  celebrities.  I  felt  the  great 


10  THE  MAPLESON  MEJJ01HS. 

responsibility  of  the  position  I  had  undertaken.  I, 
however,  set  to  work  and  engaged  the  services  of 
Salvini-Donatelli,  Viardot,  Persiani,  Naiulin,  Badiali, 
Marini,  Rovere,  Charles  Braham  and  other  tried 
artists. 

My  first  object  was  to  secure  an  able  conductor. 
I  discovered  Signor  Vianesi  (afterwards  of  the 
Royal  Italian  Opera,  and  now  of  the  Grand  Opera, 
Paris),  and  appointed  him  to  the  post  at  a  salary  of 
£S  a  month.  Much  trouble  was  experienced  in 
forming  an  efficient  orchestra  on  account  of  the  two 
great  Italian  Operas,  and  still  more  in  obtaining  a 
etage  military  band.  This  latter  difficulty  I  sur- 
mounted when  one  day  in  Leicester  Square  I 
lighted  upon  a  very  excellent  one  composed  of 
itinerant  Italian  musicians  performing  in  the  open 
street. 

The  season  opened  in  due  course,  and  the  public 
gave  ample  support  to  the  undertaking.  I  \vill  not 
fatigue  the  reader  by  entering  into  details  with 
respect  to  that  season,  which  I  began  five  days  be- 
fore the  opening  of  the  new  Royal  Italian  Opera, 
Covent  Garden,  just  rebuilt,  in  order  that  the 
singers  might  at  all  events  give  two  public  per- 
formances before  the  whole  attention  of  the  town 
would  be  centred  on  the  new  theatre. 

On  one  occasion  I  encountered  a  slight  difficulty, 
when  the  opera  of  La  Traviata  had,  in  consequence 
of  the  illness  of  one  of  the  singers,  to  be  suddenly 
substituted  for  the  work  originally  announced.  It 


HOSTILE  BANDS.  11 

was  already  half-past  seven  o'clock  at  night,  and  we 
were  without  a  stage  band. 

T  sent  the  call-boy  down  all  the  likely  thorough- 
fares where  my  Italian  wanderers  might  be  playing, 
and  I  myself  started  to  look  for  them  in  another 
direction.  I  ultimately  traced  them  to  a  small 
restaurant  in  Soho,  where  they  were  eating 
macaroni.  I  gave  them  orders  to  come  on  im- 
mediately to  the  theatre  to  perform  behind  the 
scenes  in  La  Traviata,  and  hurried  back  to  the 
theatre.  On  arriving  there  I  found  the  call-boy 
had  brought  another  street  band,  which  now  refused 
to  quit  the  stage.  At  one  time  things  looked  very 
serious,  as  the  Italians  of  the  opposing  bands,  with 
their  stilettos  drawn,  vowed  vengeance  on  one 
another.  Ultimately  all  was  satisfactorily  arranged. 

The  interest  of  this  first  season  was  kept  up  until 
its  close,  in  the  latter  part  of  July.  The  only  other 
incident  here  worth  mentioning  was  the  per- 
formance, on  the  17th  July,  of  Mozart's  Don 
Giovanni  with  the  following  powerful  cast: — 

"Donna  Anna"         ...         ...         ...  Madame  Pauline  Viardot. 

"  Donna  Elvira "         ...          ...          ...  Madame  Rndersdorff. 

"  Zerlina  "       Madame  Persian!. 

"  Don  Giovanni "        ...         ...         ...  Signer  Badiali. 

"Leporello" Signer  Kovere. 

"  Commendatore "     ...         ...         ...  Signor  Marini. 

"Masctto" Signor  Insom. 

"Ottavio"      Signor  Naudin. 

The  evening  prior  to  its  performance  I  met  Mr. 
E.  T.  Smith,  who  horrified  me  by  saying  that  in 


12  THE  UAPLESON  MEMOIPS. 

order  to  "  strengthen  up  the  bill,"  it  being  his 
benefit,  he  had  added  The  Waterman,  in  "which 
Charles  Braham  would  play  "  Tom  Tug,"  and 
moreover,  introduce  into  the  piece  a,  new  song 
dedicated  by  Mr.  E.  T.  Smith  to  the  Metropolitan 
Board  of  Works,  who,  said  Smith,  with  a  knowing 
wink,  were  "  a  most  useful  body." 

I  paid  no  attention  to  this  at  the  time,  thinking 
it  was  only  a  joke ;  but  on  looking  at  the  Times 
newspaper  on  the  day  of  the  performance,  I  found 
that  the  announcement,  as  communicated  to  ine  by 
Mr.  E.  T.  Smith,  had  really  been  made.  The  per- 
formance, too,  of  the  Waterman,  with  the  intro- 
duced song,  was  really  given. 

I  waited  with  interest  to  see  what  the  news- 
papers would  say  as  to  my  closing  representation. 
Only  one  paper  mentioned  the  performance ;  and  it 
confined  itself  to  stating  that  Don  Giovanni  had  been 
played  the  previous  evening  "  by  a  body  of  singers 
whose  united  ages  amounted  to  nearly  500  years." 

Mr.  E.  T.  Smith,  the  manager,  had  made  money 
by  our  season ;  and  he  remunerated  me  very  hand- 
somely for  my  labours.  In  the  meantime,  notwith- 
standing the  phenomenal  success  of  Mdlle.  Titiens 
at  Her  Majesty's  Theatre,  Mr.  Lumley's  difficulties 
had  been  constantly  increasing ;  and  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre  now  closed,  never  to  open  again  under  his 
management. 


CHAPTEE  II. 

INJUNCTION  AGAINST   THE   BIRDS  ON   THE   TREES — DRURY 
LANE  SEASON  OP  1859 — DEBUTS  OF  VICTOIRE  BALFE, 

MONGINI,  AND  GUARDUCCI — MY  CONTRALTO  MARRIES   A 

DUKE — THE  DDKE  AND  DUCHESS  AT  NAPLES. 

EFFORTS  were  now  made  to  obtain  the  lease  of  Her 
Majesty's  theatre,  but  it  was  so  entangled  with  legal 
difficulties  that  it  was  resolved,  on  my  advice  to  re- 
main another  year  at  Drury  Lane.  I  therefore  set  to 
work  to  secure  a  very  powerful  company  for  the 
London  season  of  1859. 

During  the  latter  part  of  1858  the  baritone 
Graziani  had  called  repeatedly  upon  me,  stating 
that  as  Mr.  Gye  had  not  renewed  his  engagement, 
and  as  there  were  some  arrears  outstanding,  he  was 
very  desirous  that  I  should  engage  him  for  the  forth- 
coming season.  After  lengthy  negotiations,  some 
time  during:  the  month  of  March,  1859,  I  signed 
with  him,  and  added  him  to  the  list  of  artists  in  the 
official  programme. 

On  the  prospectus  being  issued,  law  proceedings 


14  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

were  immediately  commenced  by  Mr.  Gye,  who  asked 
for  an  injunction  to  restrain  Graziaui  from  appear- 
ing at  Drury  Lane. 

Application  was  made  before  Vice-Chancellor 
Wood,  and  the  most  eminent  counsel  were  engaged 
on  both  sides.  Mr.  Gye  retained  Rolt,  Giffard, 
Martimlale,  etc.,  whilst  Mr.  E.  T.  Smith  was  repre- 
sented by  Sir  Hugh  Cairns,  Hawkins,  Swanstone, 
Serjeant  Ballantine,  Cottreli,  Daniel,  &c.  The  case 
was  heard  on  the  llth  and  12th  May,  1859,  when  an 
injunction  was  granted.  At  this  I  felt  somewhat 
astonished,  inasmuch  as  Graziaui's  engagement  had 
never  been  renewed  by  Mr.  Gye,  although  in  a  period 
of  more  than  eight  mouths  the  eminent  baritone  had 
made  more  than  a  dozen  applications  for  a  renewal ; 
neither  had  his  salary  been  paid  him. 

I  have  repeatedly  failed  to  obtain  injunctions 
against  my  singers,  both  here  and  in  America, 
though  the  engagements  which  they  had  broken 
were  in  every  respect  perfectly  in  order.  I  recol- 
lect a  case  in  which  one  of  my  principal  singers 
was  announced  to  appear  at  the  Crystal  Palace  in 
a  concert,  notwithstanding  a  written  engagement 
whereby  he  contracted  that  I  should  have  his  exclu- 
sive services,  and  that  he  would  sing  nowhere  with- 
out my  written  consent.  No  salary  was  owing  to  him, 
and  I  felt  perfectly  sure  of  obtaining  an  injunction, 
for  which  I  duly  applievl,  in  order  to  restrain  him 
from  committing  the  contemplated  breach  of  engage- 
ment. 


INJUNCTIONS  AGAINST  THE  BIRDS.  15 

A  formal  injunction  was,  in  fact,  granted ;  but  the 
case  was  immediately  afterwards  brought  before 
the  Lords  Justices  for  a  full  hearing.  As  I  was 
very  much  occupied  at  the  theatre  with  rehearsals, 
and  felt  sure  the  injunction  would  be  confirmed, 
and,  moreover,  that  the  case  would  occupy  but  a 
few  minutes,  I  did  not  attend ;  but  at  the  end  of 
my  day's  labours,  feeling  a  little  curious,  I  called 
on  my  solicitor  on  my  way  home,  when  I  was 
informed  by  his  clerk  that  he  was  still  in  Court 
and  that  my  case  was  not  concluded.  I  went  there. 
Sure  enough,  there  were  the  counsel  still  arguing. 
Two  attendants  were  busily  employed  handing  in 
law-books  every  minute  or  two,  with  pieces  of  paper 
between  the  leaves  indicating  pages  for  reference. 
The  counsel  on  the  other  side  was  forcibly  explain- 
ing the  case  by  supposing  a  similar  one  between  ;i 
vendor  and  a  purchaser  of  sacks  of  flour.  I  could 
not  beluve  that  it  was  my  case  they  were  proceed- 
ing with. 

Later  on  " v. ,  page  — ,"  was  quoted, 

and  now  sacks  of  corn  and  of  linseed  were  brought 
in.  The  candles  of  the  Court  were  burnt  low  down 
in  the  sockets,  and  the  three  Lords  Justices  were 
evidently  very  tired,  when  one  of  them  spoke 
thus  — 

"  I  cannot  conceive  how  Mr.  Mapleson  could 
expect  to  retain  the  exclusive  .services  of  any 
vocalist.  In  my  opinion,  sweet  musical  sounds 
should  be  for  the  benefit  of  everybody,  and  Mr. 


16  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Mapleson  might  just  as  well  apply  for  an  injunction 
to  restrain  the  birds  from  singing  on  the  trees." 

The  other  Justices  concurred  in  the  view  that  a 
singer  must  be  free  to  sing  where  he  liked. 

In  the  United  States  I  have  been  invariably  un- 
successful in  my  applications  for  an  injunction,  or 
of  even  getting  the  Courts  to  define  the  meaning  of 
a  singer's  engagement.  The  legal  mind  cannot 
grasp  the  idea.  Were  it  a  contract  for  the  erection 
of  buildings  or  machinery,  or  the  sale  of  goods,  or 
the  exclusive  manufacture  of  a  piece  of  cotton 
printing,  the  matter  would  be  clear  enough.  But 
no  evidence  on  the  part  of  musical  experts  is  ever 
by  any  chance  understood  by  the  Court. 

The  Drury  Lane  season  of  1859  opened  on  the 
25th  April  with  La  Sonnambula,  when  I  was  fortu- 
nate enough  to  introduce  two  new  singers,  who 
both  met  with  unequivocal  success.  One  was  Mdlle. 
Victoire  Balfe  (afterwards  Lady  Crampton,  and  sub- 
sequently Duchess  de  Frias),  who  appeared  as 
"  Ainina ; '  the  other,  Signor  Mongini,  whose 
triumph  was  instantaneous  in  the  part  of  "Elvino." 
This  was  his  first  appearance  in  England. 

For  this  season  two  conductors  had  been  engaged, 
Siguor  Arditi  and  Mr.  (afterwards  Sir  Julius) 
Benedict.  Both  were  excellent,  but  neither  wished 
to  be  mistaken  for  the  other.  Both,  moreover, 
were  bald,  and  I  remember  on  one  occasion,  when 
a  grand  combined  performance  was  to  take  place, 
Benedict  going  into  the  priina  donna's  dressing- 


THE  VANITY  OF  BALDNESS.  17 

room,  taking  up  a  brush,  and  carefully  arranging 
liis  scanty  hair  so  as  to  cover  as  much  as  possible 
of  his  denuded  cranium. 

"What  are  you  about,  Benedict?"  I  asked.. 

"Nothing  particular,"  he  replied;  "only  I  don't 
want,  whilst  wielding  the  baton,  to  be  mistaken,  for 
Arditi." 

Soon  afterwards  Arditi  appeared,  and  with  a  couple 
of  brushes  began  operating  on  his  hair  so  as  to  leave 
as  much  as  possible  of  his  bare  skull  exposed  to  view. 
He  explained  his  action  by  exclaiming  — 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  mistaken  for  Benedict." 

On  the  following  night  I  brought  forward  Mdlle. 
Guarducci,  who  appeared  as  "  Leonora "  in  La 
Favorita,  with  Giuglini  as  "Fernando."  Guar- 
ducci's  success  was  instantaneous,  her  lovely  voice 
being  the  object  of  universal  admiration. 

A  very  strange  thing  occurred  in  connection  with 
Guarducci's  debut.  She  had  arrived  in  London 
only  two  days  before,  in  the  belief  that  she  would 
have  two  or  three  weeks  to  prepare  the  part  which 
she  had  undertaken  to  perform*  By  a  careful  pro- 
cess of  cramming  we  got  her  through ;  and  she  made 
one  of  the  most  marked  successes  London  had  wit- 
nessed for  many  years.  I  thereupon  announced  the 
opera  for  repetition  four  days  afterwards,  when  to 
my  great  astonishment  Guarducci  informed  me  that 
she  did  not  know  a  note  of  her  part,  and  it  took 
ten  days'  rehearsals  for  her  to  learn  it  in  systematic 
style. 

VOL.  L  0 


18  THE  MAPLESON  MJSMOIM 

Later  on  I  produced  Mercadante's  Giuramento, 
which,  however,  met  with  indifferent  success.  Mdlle. 
Titiens  shortly  afterwards  appeared  as  "  Lucrezia 
Borgia,"  when  her  phenomenal  voice  attracted  such 
a  house  as  had  rarely  been  seen.  Her  performances 
throughout  the  remainder  of  the  season  were  a 
series  of  triumphs  never  to  be  forgotten. 

Arrangements  were  afterwards  made  for  an 
operatic  tour  in  the  provinces,  which  we  commenced 
iin  Dublin. 

About  this  time  the  attentions  of  an  Italian 
nobleman  towards  Mdlle.  Guarducci  became  rather 
conspicuous,  and  at  Mdlle.  Titiens'  suggestion  I 
resolved  to  ask  him  what  his  intentions  towards  her 
really  were.  As  no  satisfactory  answer  could  be 
obtained,  Mdlle.  Titiens  took  Guarducci  entirely 
under  her  charge,  and  all  communication  with  the 
Italian  nobleman  was  put  an  end  to. 

Shortly  afterwards  he  visited  me,  assuring  me  his 
intentions  were  most  honourable,  and  begging  mo 
to  intercede  so  that  he  might  again  meet  Guarducci. 
Mdlle.  Titiens'  reply  was-— 

"Yes,  as  her  husband,  not  otherwise; "  and  to 
this  ultimatum  he  consented. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  days  preparations  were 
made  for  the  marriage,  but  many  difficulties  pre- 
sented themselves.  The  duke's  father  would  have 
to  be  consulted,  together  with  the  Neapolitan 
Government,  the  Pope,  and  a  few  other  powers. 

About  this  time  Mr.  E.  T.  Smith  appeared  on 


MY  CONTRALTO  BECOMES  A  DUCHESS.         19 

the  scene,  and  he  assured  the  priests  that  of  his 
certain  knowledge  the  proposed  marriage  would  be 
most  agreeable  to  the  duke's  father;  whilst  I,  on 
ray  side,  induced  the  Consul  of  the  then  King  of 
Naples  and  of  the  Two  Sicilies  to  affix  the  Govern- 
ment stamp  to  the  contract.  I  also  had  a  marriage 
settlement  drawn,  whereby  it  was  stipulated  that  if 
Mdlle.  Guarducci  at  any  time  after  the  marriage 
should  feel  disposed  she  should  have  liberty  to 
resume  the  exercise  of  her  profession,  and  take  the 
whole  of  the  benefits  she  might  derive  therefrom 
for  her  own  use ;  the  duke  engaging,  moreover, 
that  on  the  day  he  succeeded  to  his  father's 
property  and  title  he  would  assign  to  her  £50,000 
for  her  sole  and  separate  use.  The  marriage  was 
celebrated  in  the  Metropolitan  Church  of  Dublin, 
with  full  choral  service,  in  which  Piccolomini, 
Titiens,  Aldighieri,  Giuglini,  and  others  took  part. 
The  scene  was  most  impressive. 

"Within  a  week  afterwards  the  marriage  had 
made  such  a  stir  in  Italy  that  the  new  duchess  had 
to  leave  me,  and,  accompanied  by  the  duke,  take 
her  departure  for  Italy. 

I  did  not  meet  them  afterwards  until  the  year 
1863,  when  at  my  hotel  in  Naples  a  gorgeous 
equipage  drove  up,  in  which  were  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  di  Cirilla,  with  a  beautiful  little  child. 
It  appeared  that  he  had  succeeded  to  his  titles  and 
estates,  that  he  had  already  handed  over  the  large 
sum  of  money  promised  in  the  settlement,  and  that 


20  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEM  01  US. 

they  were  the  happiest  couple  in  the  world.  They 
insisted  upon  my  spending  several  days  with  them 
at  their  palace;  and  as  it  was  the  closing  day  of 
the  Carnival  we  amused  ourselves  from  the  balcony 
of  the  Palazzo  by  throwing  the  most  gorgeous 
sweetmeats,  dolls,  and  other  things  at  the  heads  of 
the  populace.  I  was  afterwards  invited  by  the 
duke  to  a  wild-boar  hunt.  He  had  charge  of  all 
the  King's  preserves  at  Caserta,  and  by  his  hospit- 
able attentions  he  enabled  me  to  pass  the  time  most 
pleasantly. 

Looking  over  my  papers  I  find,  what  had  really 
escaped  my  memory,  that  in  order  to  ensure,  so  far 
as  we  could,  the  execution  of  the  Duke's  promise  in 
regard  to  the  settlement  on  his  wife,  Mr.  E.  T. 
Smith  and  myself  made  him  sign  a  bond  by  which 
he  bound  himself,  should  he  fail  to  fulfil  his  pledge, 
to  pay  to  each  of  us  the  sum  of  £5,000. 

Here  is  an  exact  copy  of  the  deed;  the  like  of 
which  could  scarcely  be  found  in  the  archives  of  any 
Opera  House  in  the  world : — 

"  Know  all  Men  by  these  Presents  that  I  Alfonso 
Catalano  Gonzaga  de  Duchi  de  Cirella  formerly  of 
Naples  but  now  stopping  at  Gresham  Hotel  Dublin 
am  held  and  firmly  bound  unto  Edward  Tyrrel 
Smith  of  Pensylvania  Castle  Dorset  England  and 
Lessee  of  the  Theatre  Royal  Drury  Lane  London 
but  now  stopping  at  Gresham  Hotel  Dublin  and 
James  Henry  Mapleson  of  12  Haymarket  London 
Gentleman  but  now  stopping  at  Gresham  Hotel 


MARRIAGE  UNDER  GUARANTEE.  21 

Dublin  in  the  sum  of  Ten  thousand  pounds  sterling 
good  and  lawful  money  of  the  United  Kingdom  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland  to  be  paid  to  the  said 
Edward  Tyrrel  Smith  and  James  Henry  Mapleson 
or  their  lawful  Attorney  Executors  Administrators 
or  assigns  to  the  which  payment  to  be  made  I  do 
bind  myself  my  heirs  executors  and  administrators 
firmly  by  these  presents  Sealed  with  my  seal  and 
dated  the  eighth  day  of  August  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-nine 

The  Condition  of  the  above  obligation  is  such 
that  if  the  above  bound  Alfonso  Cataluno  Gonzaga  de 
Duchi  de  Cirella  his  heirs  executors  or  administra- 
tors shall  and  do  well  and  truly  pay  or  cause  to  be 
paid  unto  the  above  named  Edward  Tyrrel  Smith 
and  James  Henry  Mapleson  their  executors  adminis- 
trators or  assigns  the  just  and  full  sum  of  Five 
thousand  pounds  sterling  of  good  and  lawful  money 
of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land according  to  the  covenant  on  his  part  con- 
tained in  a  certain  Indenture  of  Settlement  bearing 
even  date  herewith  and  made  between  Carolina 
Guarducci  of  the  first  part  the  said  Alfonso 
Catalano  Gonzaga  de  Duchi  de  Cirella  of  the 
second  part  and  the  said  Edward  Tyrrel  Smith  and 
James  Henry  Mapleson  of  the  third  part  and  shall 
also  fully  perform  all  and  singular  the  other  cove- 
nants and  agreements  on  the  part  of  him  the  said 
Alfonso  Catalano  Gonzaga  contained  in  the  afore- 
said Settlement  without  fraud  or  further  delay  that 


22  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

then  the  above  obligation  is  to  be  void  and  of  nono 
effect  or  else  to  stand  and  remain  in  full  force  and 
virtue  in  law 

ALFONSO  CATALANO  GONZAOA 

DE     DcCUl     DE     ClREI.LA 

Signed  sealed  and  delivered  in  the  presence  of 
by  Alfonso  Catalano  Gonzaga  de  Duchi  de  Cirella 
the  same  having  been  first  truly  read  explained  and 
interpreted  to  him  by  J  H  Mapleson 
THOMAS   FITZGERALD 
Solicitor  20  Saint  Andrew  St  Dublin 

Tnos   SNOWE 
Neapolitan  Vice  Consul 

I  hereby  certify  that  the  within  named  James 
Henry  Mapleson  took  a  solemn  oath  administered 
by  me  that  he  had  truly  read  explained  and  inter- 
preted the  true  contents  of  the  annexed  Bond  to 
the  within  named  Carolina  Guarducci  and  Alfonso 
Catalauo  Gonzaga  de  Duchi  de  Cirella 
Neapolitan  Vice  Consulate 

Dublin  10th  August  1859  (nine) 
s — x  Tuos   SNOWE 

(    8..,.  )  V  Consul" 

O' 


CHAPTER   III. 

NOCTURNAL  NEGOTIATIONS — REOPENINOOF  HER  MAJESTY'S 
THEATRE — SAYERS  AND  HEENAN  PATRONIZE  THE 
OPERA — ENGLISH  AND  ITALIAN  OPERA  COMBINED — 
SMITH  AND  HIS  SPECULATIONS — DISCOVERY  OF  ADELINA 
PATTI — MY  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  LYCEUM. 

EARLY  in  the  spring  of  1860  I  opened  negotiations 
again  with  Lord  Dudley,  on  behalf  of  Mr.  Smith, 
to  obtain  the  lease  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre. 
After  spending  two  days  at  Witley  Court  with 
his  lordship  I  returned  to  London  with  the  lease, 
and  loaded  with  game. 

The  next  step  was  to  secure  the  services  of 
Mdlle.  Titiens,  Giuglini,  and  others  who  still  were 
bound  to  Mr.  Lurnley;  and  for  that  purpose  Mr. 
Smith  and  myself  started  for  the  Continent.  Mr. 
Lumley  met  us  at  Boulogne ;  the  Channel,  as  in  the 
previous  year,  being  still  too  breezy  for  him  to 
cross. 

On  our  arrival  we  found  that  Mr.  Lumley  had 
prepared  a  sumptuous  banquet.  Every  kind  of  ex- 
pensive wine  was  on  the  table,  together  with  the 


24  TUB  MAPLESON  A1EM01KS. 

most  famous  liqueurs.  The  Bordeaux,  the  Bur- 
gundy, the  Champagne,  the  Chartreuse,  the  Curasao, 
and  the  Cognac  were  for  us;  whilst  Mr.  Lumley, 
like  a  clever  diplomatist,  confined  himself  to  spring 
water.  After  I  had  made  several  attempts  to 
broach  the  subject  of  our  visit,  which  Lumley  pre- 
tended not  to  understand,  he  showed  himself  quite 
astonished  when  he  heard  that  Mr.  Smith  contem- 
plated engaging  his  artists.  To  me  fell  the  duty 
of  conducting  the  negotiations  between  these  two 
wily  gentlemen ;  and  it  was  not  until  about  three 
or  four  o'clock  the  following  morning  that  things 
began  to  get  into  focus.  Mr.  Lumley,  in  the  mean- 
time, had  kept  ordering  innumerable  syphons  and 
fines  champagnes  for  Mr.  Smith,  before  whom 
the  bottles  were  perpetually  empty.  As  Mr. 
Smith  warmed  up,  he  wanted  extensions  for  the 
following  autumn,  to  which  Lumley,  reluctantly, 
of  course,  agreed.  In  the  end  the  transfer  was  to 
cost  some  £1 6,000 — I  having  obtained  a  reduction  of 
£3,000  or  £4,000  from  the  original  price  insisted 
on  by  Lumley.  I  afterwards  had  to  draw  an 
engagement  that  would  prove  satisfactory  to  both 
parties ;  a  matter  which  was  not  finally  settled 
until  nearly  six  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

Mr.  Smith  having  observed  that  he  would  see  to 
the  financial  part  being  promptly  carried  out,  Mr. 
Luraley  replied  that  he  would  prefer  to  have  bills 
drawn  and  handed  over  to  him  at  once,  payable  at 
different  dates,  for  the  whole  of  the  amount.  He 


NOCTURNAL  NEGOTIATIONS.  25 

feared,  he  said,  that  some  hostile  creditor  might 
attach  any  moneys  in  Smith's  hands  payable  to  him. 
Smith  regretted  that  in  France  they  could  not  pur- 
chase bill  stamps,  otherwise  he  would  have  been 
delighted  to  meet  Mr.  Lumley's  views.  Mr. 
Lumley,  however,  in  getting  a  brush  from  his 
little  hand-bag  found  some  papers  he  could  not 
account  for,  but  which  had  somehow  got  in  there ; 
and  these,  to  the  astonishment  of  both  Lumley  and 
Smith,  proved  to  be  bill  stamps.  The  next  thing 
was  to  draw  the  various  bills ;  and  Smith  remarked 
before  leaving  the  banqueting-room  that  it  would 
be  better  to  finish  the  remains  of  the  bottle  then 
before  him,  lest  the  hotel  servants  should  do  so  and 
get  drunk.  Mr.  Lumley,  instead  of  going  to  bed, 
went  back  to  Paris  by  the  early  morning  train, 
while  Smith  and  myself  returned  to  London. 

The  company  for  the  season  of  1860  was  a  mar- 
vellously attractive  one.  . 

Admirable,  too,  were  the  works  produced. 

Mr.  Smith  about  this  time  had  acquired  various 
restaurants  in  London,  besides  the  Alhambra, 
Cremorne  Gardens,  Drury  Lane,  and  a  variety  of 
other  establishments.  The  management  of  the 
opera  was,  therefore,  left  entirely  to  me,  except 
that  I  received  occasional  visits  at  the  most  un- 
seasonable hours  from  Mr.  Smith,  who  arrived  with 
the  strangest  suggestions.  About  this  time  the 
celebrated  fight  for  the  championship  took  place 
between  Sayers  and  Heenan,  and  as  the  Coveul 


26  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Garden  people  were  getting  rather  ahead  of  us, 
Mr.  Smith,  with  a  view  to  increased  receipts, 
insisted  on  my  announcing  that  Messrs.  Sayers  and 
Heenan,  who  had  fought  the  day  previously,  would 
attend  the  opera  in  their  bruised  state.  It  was 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  I  afterwards  got  the 
announcement  withdrawn  from  the  papers.  Both  men 
appeared,  nevertheless,  that  evening — one  worse- 
looking  than  the  other — in  a  private  box  which 
Smith  had  prepared  specially  for  them  on  the  grand 
tier;  one  corner  being  filled  with  brandies  and 
sodas,  and  the  other  with  bottles  of  champagne. 
Both  men  were  so  fatigued  with  their  business  of 
the  previous  day  that  before  the  end  of  the  first  act 
they  went  home,  much  to  my  relief. 

Shortly  afterwards  Smith  proposed  that  the 
Champion's  belt  (which  had  been  divided  in  two) 
should  be  presented  on  the  stage  between  the  acts 
of  the  opera.  This,  too,  I  overruled,  and  the 
ceremony  ultimately  took  place  at  the  Alhambra. 

On  another  occasion  Mr.  Smith  suggested  to  mo 
an  idea  that  had  occurred  to  him  for  closing  up 
Covent  Garden,  by  giving  a  grand  double  perform- 
ance of  //  Trovatore  without  any  increase  of  prices. 
He  proposed  dividing  the  stage  into  two  floors,  as 
in  the  opera  of  Aida:  with  the  occupants  as  follows  : — 

Top  floor.  Bottom  floor. 

"  Manrico "  ...         Mongini  ...         Giuglini. 

"Conto  di  Lnna"  ...         Aldigliicri  ...         Everardi. 

"  Azticena "  ...         Alboni  ...         Boiglii-Mamo. 

"  Leonora"  Griii  Titiens. 


PRODUCTION  OF  OBERON.  27 

The  singers  were  alarmed,  as  the  matter  became 
serious.  This  project,  however,  like  previous  ones, 
I  ultimately  succeeded  in  setting  aside.  I  pleaded 
that  the  preparations  for  the  production  of  Oberon, 
now  resolved  upon,  needed  all  my  attention. 
Benedict,  the  favourite  pupil  of  Weber,  had  under- 
taken to  adapt  the  famous  opera  for  the  Italian 
stage  by  introducing  recitative  and  excerpts  from 
some  of  Weber's  other  works,  whilst  Planche*,  the 
author  of  the  libretto,  undertook  the  mi<e  en  scene. 
A  really  grand  performance  took  place,  with  the 
following  cast  of  characters  : — 

"  Sir   Huon,"  Mongini ;    "  Scerasmin,"    Everardi ;  "  Oberon," 
Belart ;  «  Fatima,"  Alboni ;  «'  Rezia,"  Titiens. 

Despite  the  artistic  successes  of  the  season, 
matters,  as  usual  with  operatic  managers,  did  nob 
go  well  in  a  financial  sense.  This,  in  a  great 
measure,  was  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  drain  on  our 
exchequer  caused  by  Mr.  Smith's  numerous  outside 
speculations;  for  the  receipts  from  the  various 
establishments  were  all  lumped  into  one  banking 
account. 

On  one  occasion  I  recollect  having  a  deal  of 
difficulty  with  the  Sheriff's  officers,  who  had  got 
possession  of  the  wardrobes.  We  were  on  the  point 
of  producing  the  Huguenots,  and  the  whole  of  the 
dresses  for  that  opera  were  under  ban.  One  after- 
noon Smith  came  in  ;  and  after  some  little  time  it 
appeared  that  the  officers  had  agreed  not  to  take 


^8  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEMOIRS. 

the  Huguenots  until  we  had  had  two  performances 
out  of  it. 

In  fact,  there  was  always  some  trouble  going  on, 
and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  we  got 
through  the  season. 

In  the  Boulogne  contracts  Lumley's  artists  were 
ceded  not  only  for  a  summer,  but  also  for  an 
autumn  season  at  Her  Majesty's.  As,  however, 
they  were  to  sing  but  three  times  a  week,  it  occurred 
to  me  that  English  opera  might  be  tried  with  advan- 
tage on  the  alternate  nights.  Arrangements  were 
accordingly  entered  into,  through  the  kindness  of 
Mr.  Thomas  Chappell,  with  Mrs.  L.  Sherrington, 
Mr.  Sims  Reeves,  and  Mr.  Santley.  Charles  Hall£ 
was  at  the  same  time  engaged  as  conductor. 

Negotiations  were  also  entered  into  with  Mac- 
farren  for  the  production  of  an  English  work 
entitled  Eolin  Hood,  the  libretto  by  Oxeuford.  The 
opera  met  with  very  great  success,  so  much  so  that 
the  chief  attentions  of  the  public  were  directed  to  the 
evenings  on  which  Robin  Hood  was  performed.  I 
then  opened  negotiations  with  Vincent  Wallace  to 
prepare  an  opera  to  follow,  entitled  the  AmJwr  Witch, 
libretto  by  Chorley,  in  which  Mr.  Sims  Reeves, 
Mrs.  L.  Sherrington,  Santley,  Patey,  and  others 
appeared. 

But  again  the  war  cloud  seemed  to  hover  over  the 
establishment,  and  again  the  Sheriff's  officers 
appeared  in  force.  It  was  thought  advisable  to 
transfer  the  Amber  Witch  to  Drury  Lane,  leaving 


SEIZURE  OF  LES  HUGUENOTS.  29 

the  myrmidons  of  the  law  in  possession  of  the 
theatre  and  its  belongings.  The  Amber  Witch  ward- 
robe (which  somehow  had  fallen  off  the  portico  of 
the  theatre  early  one  Sunday  morning)  found  its 
way  to  the  other  theatre.  Here  the  part  of  the 
"  Amber  Witch "  was  undertaken  by  Madame 
Parepa,  vice  Sherriugton. 

Mr.  Edward  Tyrrel  Smith,  with  whom  I  had 
business  relations  for  some  three  or  four  years,  was 
an  extraordinary  personage,  whose  like  could  only 
be  met  with  in  our  own  time,  and  in  such  capitals 
as  London  or  Paris,  where  the  population  in  general 
has  certainly  not  the  faintest  idea  how  some  small 
part  of  that  population  lives.  Mr.  B.  T.  Smith  had 
made  up  his  mind  early  in  life  to  be  the  possessor, 
or  at  least  the  handler,  of  considerable  suras  of 
money ;  and  he  at  one  time  found  it  worth  his 
while,  so  as  never  to  be  without  funds,  to  hire  daily, 
at  the  rate  of  £1  a  day,  a  thousand-pound  note, 
which  was  obligingly  entrusted  to  him  by  a  money- 
lender of  the  period,  one  Sam  Genese. 

There  are  not  many  persons  to  whom  such  a  loan 
would  be  worth  the  thirty-six  and  a  half  per  cent, 
interest  which  Mr.  E.  T.  Smith  paid  for  it.  He 
was  an  adept,  however,  at  all  kinds  of  business,  and 
his  thousand-pound  note  enabled  him  to  make  pur- 
chases on  credit,  which,  without  deposit  money,  he 
would  have  been  unable  to  effect.  Attending  sales 
he  would  buy  whatever  happened  to  suit  him,  with 


80  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

a  view  to  immediate  resale,  offering  his  thousand- 
pound  note  as  a  deposit,  to  discover,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  that  it  could  not  be  changed,  and  have  the 
article  for  which  he  had  bid  marked  down  to  him  a  1 
the  same.  Then  he  would  resell  it,  and  pocket  the 
difference. 

The  mere  exhibition  of  the  thousand-pound  note 
secured  him  a  certain  amount  of  credit,  and  he  was 
not  likely  ever  to  meet  with  an  auctioneer  able 
to  change  it.  Before  offering  his  (or  rather  Mr. 
Genese's)  note  he  took  care  to  write  his  name 
on  the  back  of  it.  Afterwards  his  usurious  friend 
would  replace  the  note  that  had  been  endorsed 
by  a  brand  new  one,  and  occasions  presented  them- 
selves in  which  it  was  a  distinct  advantage  for  B.  T. 
Smith  to  be  known  as  a  gentleman  who,  in  the 
course  of  a  comparatively  short  space  of  time,  had 
inscribed  his  name  on  several  bank-notes,  each  for 
a  thousand  pounds. 

Once,  when  St.  Dunstan's  Villa,  in  the  Regent's 
Park,  was  knocked  down  to  Smith  for  ten  thousand 
pounds,  the  thousand-pound  note  which  he  had,  as 
usual,  in  his  waistcoat  pocket  was  just  what  was 
wanted  to  satisfy  the  auctioneer's  immediate 
demands.  Smith  handed  up  the  note  with  the 
observation  that  he  would  turn  the  place  into  a 
second  Cremorne  Gardens,  in  which  character  it 
could  not  fail  to  attract  thousands  of  people  and 
bring  in  lots  of  money.  At  this  announcement  the 
auctioneer  drew  back  and  informed  the  apparently 


EIRE  OF  £1000  NOTE.  31 

eager  purchaser  that  the  house  could  be  converted 
to  no  such  purpose. 

One  day,  when  T  had  run  down  to  Brighton  with 
Mr.  Smith,  then  associated  with  me  in  the  manage- 
ment of  Drury  Lane,  we  missed,  by  about  half  a 
minute,  the  return  train  we  had  intended  to  catch ; 
and  we  had  now  two  hours  to  wait.  Smith  could  not 
remain  idle,  and  strolling  with  me  along  the  Parade 
his  attention  was  attracted  by  a  corner  house  which 
was  for  sale,  and  which,  it  at  once  struck  him, 
might  be  turned  to  profitable  account  as  a  milliner's 
shop.  He  inquired  as  to  the  rent  and  other  condi- 
tions, bought  the  house  there  and  then,  and  at  once 
ordered  that  the  windows  on  the  ground  floor  should 
be  replaced  by  much  larger  ones  of  plate  glass. 

That  night  he  started  for  Paris,  and  in  the  Passage 
du  Saumon,  where  bonnets  of  almost  the  latest 
fashion  can  be  purchased  for  moderate  prices,  laid 
in  a  stock  of  millinery  for  his  Brighton  "  magasin  dcs 
modes"  While  making  his  purchases  in  Paris  he 
secured  the  services  of  two  eligible  young  women, 
who  were  brought  over  to  direct  the  Brighton 
establishment.  This,  within  a  very  short  time,  he 
duly  opened  under  the  name  of  "  Clementine,"  and 
the  house  of  Clementine  did  such  good  business 
that  a  few  weeks  afterwards  its  spirited  proprietor 
was  able  to  sell  it  at  seven  hundred  pounds'  profit. 

On  the  occasion  of  a  melancholy  event  which 
compelled  all  the  London  managers  to  close  their 
theatres,  Mr.  E.  T.  Smith  saw  in  this  day  of 


32  THE  AIAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

national  gloom  a  tempting  opportunity  for  a  masked 
ball.  It  was  to  be  given  at  Her  Majesty's  Theatre, 
and  earnestly  as  I  sought  to  divert  him  from  his 
project  he  insisted  on  carrying  it  out.  I  had  no 
right  of  veto  in  the  matter,  and  the  masked  ball 
took  place.  The  sum  of  one  guinea  entitled  a  ticket- 
holder  to  entrance  and  supper,  and  a  day  or  two 
before  the  entertainment  fires  were  lighted  in  the 
property-room,  the  painting-room,  and  the  ward- 
robes, in  order  to  cook  some  hundreds  of  fowls 
which  had  been  purchased  in  the  market,  after 
ordinary  market  hours,  at  a  very  cheap  rate. 

Wine  would  be  an  extra  charge.  In  order  to  suit 
the  tastes  of  connoisseurs,  Mr.  Smith  made  large 
purchases  of  Heidsieck,  Pornmery  Greno,  Perrier 
Jouet,  and  other  favourite  brands  somewhere  in 
Whitechapel,  where  they  can  be  secured  at  a  much 
less  cost  than  at  Epernay  or  Rheims.  When  the 
wine  came  in  he  showed  it  to  me  with  a  look  of 
pride,  and  opened  a  bottle  of  someone's  cuvee  rtservte 
in  order  to  have  my  opinion.  I  told  him  frankly 
that  the  bottles,  labels,  and  the  names  branded  on 
the  corks  seemed  all  that  could  be  desired,  and  that 
I  found  nothing  bad  except  the  wine.  This  he 
seemed  to  look  upon  as  an  unimportant  detail,  and 
the  Whitechapel  champagne  was  sold  to  infatuated 
dancers  at  ten  and  twelve  shillings  a  bottle. 

About  this  time  I  chanced  to  hear  of  an  extra- 
ordinary young  vocalist,  who  had  been  charming  the 
Americans,  and,  although  hardly  nineteen,  seemed 


ARRIVAL  OF  ADEL1NA  PATTI.      33 

to  have  obtained  a  firm  hold  on  the  sympathy  and 
admiration  of  their  public.  I  opened  negotiations 
at  once,  in  order  to  secure  her  services  for  the  forth- 
coming season  at  Her  Majesty's,  and  a  contract  was 
duly  entered  into  on  behalf  of  Mr.  Smith,  whereby 
the  little  lady  undertook  to  sing  four  nights  on 
approval,  when,  in  case  of  success,  she  was  to  have 
a  salary  of  £10  a  week.  I  likewise  concluded  an 
engagement  with  Mario,  whose  term  had  expired  at 
Covent  Garden,  and  with  Madame  Grisi ;  while  Costa 
undertook  to  join  the  following  year  on  the  expira- 
tion of  his  existing  contract  with  Mr.  Gye. 

In  fact,  all  looked  very  promising  for  the  year 
1861.  But,  as  the  time  approached,  I  found  more 
difficulty  than  ever  in  communicating  with  Mr. 
Smith,  who  seemed  to  be  out  of  the  way.  I  then 
accidentally  learned  that  owing  to  the  extreme 
financial  difficulty  in  which  he  was  placed  through 
his  numerous  outside  speculations  he  had  been  com- 
pelled to  accept  an  offer  from  Mr.  Gye  of  £4,000  on 
condition  of  his  not  opening. 

In  accordance  with  this  arrangement  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre  remained  closed. 

Some  time  in  the  month  of  April  the  little  lady 
from  America  arrived  and  sent  me  up  her  card,  bear- 
ing the  name  of  Adelina  Patti.  She  was  accompanied 
by  Maurice  Strakosch,  her  brother-in-law.  They 
wished  to  know  when  Mr.  Smith's  season  was  likely 
to  begin.  I  could  give  them  no  information  beyond 
the  current  report  which  they  had  already  heard 

VOL.  i.  D 


34  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIR*. 

themselves.  The  little  lady,  who  was  then  grated 
cm  a  sofa  at  the  Arundel  Hotel,  at  the  bottom  of 
Norfolk  Street,  Strand,  suggested  that  I  should  try 
the  speculation  myself,  as  she  felt  sure  she  would 
draw  money.  I  thereupon  asked  her  to  let  me  hear 
her,  that  I  might  judge  as  to  the  quality  of  her 
voice,  to  which  she  responded  by  singing  "  Home, 
Sweet  Home."  I  saw  that  I  had  secured  a  diamond 
of  the  first  water,  and  immediately  set  about  en- 
deavouring to  get  Her  Majesty's  Theatre.  But 
this  was  a  hopeless  business,  as  Smith,  who  still 
held  the  lease,  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  Shortly 
afterwards,  however,  I  met  Smith  by  chance,  and 
proposed  renting  Drury  Lane  from  him,  without 
saying  what  for. 

Two  days  later  he  brought  me  an  agreement 
which  he  requested  me  to  sign.  I  said  that  I  should 
like  first  to  glance  over  it.  He  pointed  out  to  me 
that  I  might  give  operas,  dramas,  pantomimes, 
ballets,  in  fact  everything;  and  that  I  should  have 
no  difficulty  in  making  a  very  fine  season.  But 
on  the  top  of  the  page  overleaf  my  eye  caught 
sight  of  a  parenthesis,  within  which  were  the  words 
"  Italian  Opera  excepted."  I  thereupon  put  down 
the  pen,  raised  some  question  about  the  deposit,  and 
afterwards  kept  clear  of  Mr.  Smith. 

But  many  years  after  he  had  ceased  to  be  con- 
nected with  theatres  I  one  day  received  a  letter 
from  him,  in  which  he  told  me  he  was  in  the  metal 
trade,  and  asked  me  to  send  him  a  couple  of  stalls  for 


/  SECURE  THE  LYCEUM.  35 

himself  and  his  "  old  woman."  The  heading  of  the 
letter  announced  the  character  of  his  new  business, 
and  ho  added  in  a  postscript :  "  Do  you  ever  want 
any  tin  ?  " 

Nothing  now  remained  but  to  secure  the  Lyceum; 
the  only  other  theatre  available.  This  I  did.  Ithaving 
been  occupied  but  two  or  three  years  previously  by 
the  Royal  Italian  Opera,  I  considered  the  locale 
would  be  perfectly  suited  for  my  purpose.  I  there- 
upon started  off  to  Paris  to  find  Mr.  Lumley,  from 
whom  I  now  wished  to  secure  for  myself  the  singers 
still  engaged  to  him.  Mr.  Lumley  had  unfortunately 
left  for  Marseilles.  I  myself  started  for  Marseilles, 
but  in  passing  Avignon  I  thought  I  saw  black 
whiskers  in  the  passing  train  resembling  those  of 
Mr.  Lumley.  But  I  was  not  sure.  I  therefore 
continued  my  journey. 

"  Mr.  Lurnley,  est  parti,"  I  was  told  on  my 
arrival.  I  returned  to  Paris,  and  was  informed  that 
be  had  gone  to  England,  which  I  knew  was  not 
possible,  except  on  a  Sunday.  This  being  Saturday, 
I  determined  to  stop  at  Boulogne  and  make  inquiries; 
and  in  the  same  hotel  where  I  had  conducted  the 
negotiations  some  two  or  three  years  previously  I 
found  him.  I  soon  completed  my  arrangements, 
undertaking  to  give  him  half  my  total  gross  nightly 
receipts  in  exchange  for  Titiens  and  Giuglini.  I 
undertook  to  provide  the  whole  of  the  expenses, 
with  Alboni,  Patti,  and  others  among  my  other 
singers.  I  returned  joyfully  to  London,  and  at 


36  T11E  MAPLESON  MEMOIHS. 

once  went  to  the  Arundel  Hotel  to  inform  Misa 
Patti  and  Strakosch  of  my  good  luck.  They  did 
not  seem  overjoyed,  or  in  any  way  to  participate  in 
my  exuberant  delight. 

Maurice  Strakosch  told  me  that  as  their  last  £5 
note  had  been  spent  he  had  been  obliged  to  borrow 
£50  of  Mr.  Gye,  which  intelligence  at  once  reduced 
my  height  by  at  least  two  inches  ;  and  after  a  deal 
of  difficulty  I  ascertained  that  he  had  signed  a 
receipt  for  the  said  loan  in  a  form  which  really 
constituted  an  engagement  for  the  Royal  Italian 
Opera,  Covent  Garden. 

In  short,  I  found  myself  manager  of  the  Lyceum 
Theatre,  with  an  expensive  Company,  and  with 
Mdlle.  Patti  opposed  to  me  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
at  Covent  Garden. 

My  season  opened  at  the  Lyceum  on  Saturday, 
the  8th  June,  1861,  the  opera  being  11  Trovatore, 
"Manrico,"  Signer  Giuglini;  "  11  Conte  di  Luna," 
Signer  delle  Sedie,  the  eminent  baritone,  who  made 
his  first  appearance  in  England;  "  Ferrando,"  Signer 
Gassier;  whilst  "  Azucena  "  was  Mdme. Alboni,  and 
"Leonora,''  Mdlle.  Titiens;  Arditi  conducting  tho 
orchestra,  which  was  composed  of  the  members  of 
the  Philharmonic  Society  and  Her  Majesty's  private 
band.  On  the  second  night  I  gave  Lucrezia  Borgia, 
with  Giugliui,  Gassier,  Alboui,  and  Titiens  in  lead- 
ing parts. 

In  the  meanwhile  I  placed  Verdi's  new  opera,  Un 
Ballo  in  Maschera,  in  rehearsal  in  order  that  I  might 


PRODUCTION  OF  UN  BALLO  IN  M  ASCII  ERA.    87 

have  the  honour  of  representing  it  for  the  first  time 
in  this  country;  and  by  dint  of  almost  superhuman 
effort  on  the  part  of  Arditi  and  the  principal 
artists,  I  produced  it  some  few  days  before  Covent 
Garden,  although  it  had  been  in  rehearsal  there 
for  over  six  weeks.  I  well  recollect  how,  after  a 
fatiguing  performance  of  such  an  opera  as  Les 
Huguenots,  Lucrezia  Borgia,  or  Norma,  Mdlle.  Titiens, 
Giu^lini,  and  other  artists  would  go  in  the  direction 
of  Eaton  Square  to  take  supper  with  Signer  Arditi, 
and  at  about  half-past  one  in  the  morning  .begin 
rehearsing.  The  rehearsals  terminated,  the  full  blaze 
of  the  sun  would  accompany  us  on  our  way  home  to 
bed.  This  was  done  night  after  night. 

But  our  efforts  were  rewarded  by  the  immense 
success  the  opera  achieved  at  its  first  performance. 

During  the  first  weeks  of  my  management 
I  had  a  strong  counter-attraction  operating  against 
me  in  the  shape  of  a  large  fire  raging  in  Tooley 
Street,  which  it  seemed  to  be  the  fashionable 
thing  to  go  and  see.  Thousands  attended  it  every 
evening. 

Before  the  close  of  the  season  1  gave  a  grand 
combined  performance  composed  of  excerpts  from 
various  operas — a  kind  of  representation  never 
popular  with  the  British  public ;  but,  this  being  the 
last  night  of  my  season,  the  house  was  crowded 
from  top  to  bottom.  During  the  evening  the  choris- 
ters had  banded  together,  threatening  to  refuse 
their  services  unless  I  complied  with  an  exorbitant 

107.967 


38  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

claim   which  I  considered   they   had   no   right  to 
make. 

Prior  to  the  curtain  rising  for  the  final  section  of 
the  performance — the  entire  fourth  act  of  the 
Huguenots — I  was  sent  for.  All  reasoning  with  the 
chorus  singers  was  useless.  I  therefore  left  the 
room,  telling  them  to  remain  until  I  returned, 
which  they  promised  to  do.  I  then  instructed 
Mdlle.  Titiens  and  Giuglini  that  the  "  Conspirators' 
Chorus  "  ("  Benediction  des  Poignards  ")  would  be 
left  o.ut,  and  that  the  act  must  commence,  as  it  was 
now  very  late,  with  the  entry  of  "  Raoul "  and 
"Valentine"  for  the  grand  duet,  whereby  I  dis- 
pensed with  the  services  of  the  chorus  altogether. 
No  sooner  did  they  hear  that  the  opera  was  pro- 
ceeding than  they  one  and  all  surrendered.  I, 
however,  had  the  pleasure  of  telling  them  that  I 
should  never  require  one  of  them  again — and  I 
never  did. 

This  really  was  the  origin,  now  common  at  both 
Opera-houses,  of  the  introduction  of  choristers  from 
Italy.  I  may  mention  that  the  members  of  my 
refractory  chorus  were  people  who  had  been  some 
thirty  or  forty  years,  or  even  longer,  at  the  Opera- 
houses  and  other  theatres  in  London,  and  it  was 
really  an  excellent  opportunity  for  dispensing  with 
their  services. 

At  the  close  of  the  opera  season,  on  balancing  my 
accounts,  I  found  myself  a  loser  of  some  £1,800. 
Thereupon,  I  resolved  to  carry  on  the  Opera  again 


BALANCE  TO  BE  MADE  GOOD.  89 

in  a  larger  locale  next  year  in  order  that  I  might 
get  straight ;  vowing,  as  the  Monte  Carlo  gambler 
constantly  does,  that  as  soon  as  I  got  quite  straiglr 
I  would  stop,  and  never  play  again.  I  have  been 
endeavouring  during  the  last  thirty  years  to  got 
straight,  and  still  hope  to  do  so. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

AT  HER  MAJFSTY'S  THEATRE — VERDI'S  CANTATA — GIUGLINI 
AT  THE  SEASIDE — POLLIO  AND  THE  DRUM-STICK — AN 
OPERATIC  CONSPIRACY  —  CONFUSION  OF  THE  CON- 
SPIRATORS. 

EARLY  in  the  following  spring,  I  succeeded  in  secur- 
ing a  promise  of  the  lease  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre 
for  21  years,  for  which  I  deposited  £4,000  pending  its 
preparation.  I  hastened  to  make  public  announce- 
ment of  the  fact.  Lord  Dudley,  however,  kept 
varying  the  conditions  of  payment,  which  I  under- 
stood originally  to  have  been  a  deposit  of  £4,000  to 
remain  as  security  for  the  payment  of  the  rent 
throughout  the  tenancy.  His  lordship  contended, 
however,  that  the  sum  deposited  was  in  part  pay- 
ment of  the  first  year's  rent,  and  that  another 
£4,000  must  be  paid  before  I  could  obtain  possession. 
This  was  indeed  a  terrible  set-back  to  me,  and  I 
was  at  my  wits'  end  what  to  do.  However,  through 
the  kindness  of  my  friend  Mitchell,  who  subscribed 
largely,  together  with  various  members  of  the  trade, 


AT  HER  MAJESTY'S  THEATRE.  41 

I  secured  the  remainder;  and  on  the  first  day  of 
April — ominous  day  ! — I  passed  through  the  stage 
door  with  the  key  of  the  Opera  in  one  pocket  and 
£2 — my  sole  remaining  balance — in  the  other.  I 
stood  in  the  middle  of  the  stage  contemplating  my 
position.  I  was  encouraged  by  the  celebrated  black 
cat  of  Her  Majesty's ;  which,  whether  in  good  faith 
or  bad,  rubbed  herself  in  the  most  friendly  manner 
against  my  knees. 

Prior  to  the  opening  of  my  season  of  1862  I 
made  an  increase  in  the  number  of  stalls  from  seven 
to  ten  rows,  rny  predecessor  having  increased  them 
from  four  to  seven.  This  removed  the  Duke  of 
Wellington,  who  was  an  old  supporter  of  the  house, 
much  farther  from  the  stage,  it  having  always  been 
his  custom  to  occupy  the  last  number.  Thus  in  Mr. 
Lumley's  time  he  occupied  No.  82,  in  Mr.  Smith's 
time  163,  whilst  this  increase  of  mine  sent  back 
His  Grace  to  280.  Nothing  but  the  last  stall  would 
satisfy  him ;  he  did  not  care  where  it  was. 

Prior  to  my  opening  the  most  tempting  offers 
were  made  by  Mr.  Gye  to  my  great  prima  donna 
Titiens.  Her  name,  which  closed  my  list  of 
artists,  was  mentioned  in  my  prospectus  with  the 
"  subjoined  prefatory  remarks:  "  The  Director  feels 
"  that  with  the  following  list  of  artists  nothing  more 
"  need  be  said.  Of  one,  however,  a  special  word  may 
"  not  be  out  of  place,  since  she  may  without  exag- 
"  geration  be  said  to  constitute  the  last  link  of  that 
"chain  of  glorious  prime  donne  commencing  with 


42  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

"  Catalani.  Jt  is  seldom  that  Nature  lavishes  on  one 
"person  all  the  gifts  which  are  needed  to  form  a 
"  great  soprano:  a  voice  whose  register  entitles  it  to 
"  claim  this  rank  is  of  the  rarest  order.  Melodious 
"  quality  and  power,  which  are  not  less  essential 
"  than  extended  register,  are  equally  scarce. 
"  Musical  knowledge,  executive  finish,  and  perfect 
"  intonation  are  indispensable,  and  to  these  the 
"prima  donna  should  add  dramatic  force  andadapta- 
"  bility,  together  with  a  large  amount  of  personal 
"  grace.  Even  these  rare  endowments  will  not 
"  suffice  unless  they  are  illumined  by  the  fire  of 
"  genius.  By  one  only  of  living  artists  has  this  high 
"  ideal  been  reached — by  Mdlle.  Titieus." 

The  subscriptions  began  pouring  in,  and  all 
appeared  couleur  de  rose,  when  Mr.  Gye's  envoy,  the 
late  Augustus  Harris,  again  appeared,  Titieus  not 
having  yet  signed  her  contract  with  me ;  and  he 
produced  a  contract  signed  by  Mr.  Gye  with  the 
amount  she  was  to  receive  in  blank.  She  was  to 
fill  in  anything  she  chose.  It  was  indeed  a  trying 
moment,  and  various  members  of  her  family  urged 
her  to  give  consideration  to  this  extraordinary  pro- 
posal. She,  however,  replied  in  few  words:  "  I 
"  have  given  my  promise  to  Mr.  Mapleson,  which  is 
"  better  than  all  contracts."  My  season,  therefore, 
commenced  in  due  course. 

I  had  got  together  a  magnificent  company,  and  as 
the  public  found  that  the  performances  given  merited 
their  support  and  confidence,  the  receipts  gradually 


/  MEET  VERDL  43 

began  to  justify  all  expectations,  and  witliin  a  short 
time  I  found  myself  with  a  very  handsome  balance  at 
my  bankers.  This  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  very 
large  influx  of  strangers  who  came  to  London  to  visit 
the  Exhibition  of  1862.  One  day,  about  this  time,  in 
coming  from  my  house  at  St.  John's  Wood,  1  met 
Verdi,  who  explained  to  me  that  he  was  very  much 
disappointed  at  the  treatment  he  had  received  at 
the  bauds  of  the  Royal  Commissioners,  who  had 
rejected  the  cantata  he  had  written  for  the  opening 
of  the  Exhibition.  I  at  once  cheered  him  up  by 
telling  him  I  would  perform  it  at  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre  if  he  would  superintend  its  direction, 
Mdlle.  Titiens  undertaking  the  solo  soprano  part. 
The  cantata  was  duly  performed,  and  the  com- 
poser was  called  some  half-dozen  times  before 
the  curtain.  At  the  same  time  the  work  was  pur- 
chased by  a  London  publisher,  who  paid  a  handsome 
price  for  it.  Verdi  appeared  very  grateful,  and 
piOinised  me  many  advantages  for  the  future. 

Early  in  the  season  I  produced  the  opera  of 
Semiramide,  in  which  the  sisters  Marchisio  ap- 
peared with  distinction.  Afterwards  came  Weber's 
romantic  opera  of  Oberon ;  J.  R.  Planche,  the 
author  of  the  libretto,  and  Mr.  Benedict,  Weber's 
favourite  pupil,  taking  part  in  its  reproduction. 

This  was  followed  by  the  remounting  of  Meyer- 
beers  Robert  le  Diable,  with  Titivns  in  the  part  of 
*'  Alice,"  the  whole  of  the  scenery  and  dresses 
being  entirely  new.  Mdlle.  (now  Mdrne.)  Trebelli 


44  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

shortly  afterwards  arrived,  and  on  May  4th  appeared 
with  brilliant  success  as  "  Maffio  Orsini "  in  Lucrezia 
Borgia,  her  second  appearance  taking  place  four 
days  afterwards  in  the  part  of  "  Azucena"  (Trova- 
tore),  when  her  permanent  reputation  seemed  to  be 
already  ensured,  as  it  in  fact  was. 

About  this  time  I  had  a  great  deal  of  difficulty 
with  the  tenor,  Giuglini,  who,  like  a  spoilt  child,  did 
not  seem  to  know  what  he  really  required.  He  went 
down  to  Brighton  accompanied  by  a  certain  notorious 
lady,  and  all  persuasion  to  induce  him  to  return 
proved  useless.  He  said  he  had  the  "  migraine." 
Thereupon  I  hit  upon  a  device  for  making  him 
return,  which  succeeded  perfectly. 

On  the  day  of  my  visit  I  announced  the  Trovatore 
for  performance,  with  Naudin,  the  tenor  whom  I 
had  introduced  some  two  years  previously  to 
London,  in  the  principal  role.  I  spoke  to  a  friendly 
critic,  who  promised,  in  the  event  of  Naudin's 
meeting  with  the  success  which  I  anticipated, 
to  make  a  point  of  recording  the  fact ;  and  on  the 
following  morning  at  Brighton,  as  I  was  accidentally 
walking  with  Giuglini,!  purchased  the  paper  in  which 
my  friend  wrote  and  handed  it  to  the  lady  who 
was  absorbing  all  Giuglini's  attention.  I  casually 
observed  that  Giuglini  might  now  remain  at 
Brighton  for  a  lengthened  period.  In  the  course 
of  an  hour  the  tenor  was  on  his  way  to  London, 
volunteering  to  sing  the  same  evening  if  necessary; 
adding,  however,  a  condition  which  really  caused  me 
some  inconvenience. 


VERDI'S  EXHIBITION  CANTATA.  45 

He  now  informed  me  that  he  had  written  a  better 
cantata  than  Verdi's,  and  that  unless  I  performed  it 
1  could  no  longer  rely  upon  his  services ;  if,  how- 
ever, his  work  were  given  he  would  remain  faithful 
to  me  for  the  future.  The  work  was  duly  delivered, 
in  which  I  remember  there  was  a  lugubrious 
character  destined  for  IMdlle.  Titiens,  called  "  Una 
madre  Italiana."  Giuglini  further  required  120' 
windows  on  the  stage,  from  each  of  which,  at  a  given 
signal,  the  Italian  flag  was  to  appear  ;  and  no  smaller 
number  than  120  would  satisfy  him.  We  were  at 
our  wits'  end.  But  the  difficulty  was  met  by  ar- 
ranging the  scene  in  perspective  ;  grown-up  people 
being  at  the  windows  nearest  the  public,  then 
children  at  those  farther  removed,  until  in  the  far 
distance  little  dolls  were  used. 

At  a  given  signal,  when  the  orchestra  struck  up 
the  Garibaldi  hymn,  these  were  all  to  appear.  I 
need  scarcely  say  that  the  cantata  was  given  but  for 
one  night.  Poor  Arthur  Bacon,  of  the  Ship  Hotel, 
backed  up  Giuglini's  own  opinion  when  he  de- 
clared it  to  be  "  a  fine  work." 

The  business  meanwhile  kept  on  increasing.  In 
fact,  I  kept  the  theatre  open  on  and  off  until  nearly 
Christmas  time,  and  always  to  crowded  houses. 

During  my  autumn  provincial  tour  of  1862  I  had 
much  trouble  in  finding  a  substitute  for  rny  con- 
tralto, at  that  time  Mdlle.  Borchardt,  who  was 
Buffering  from  a  sudden  attack  of  "  grippe ; "  an  ill- 
ness which,  at  least  in  the  artistic  world,  includes 
influenza,  low  fever,  and  other  maladies  hard  to 


46  TUE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

define.  The  opera  announced  was  Lnr.rezia  Borgi/i, 
and  my  diflBculty  was  to  find  a  lady  capable  of  sing- 
ing the  part  of  "  Maffio  Orsini."  I  improvised  a 
substitute  who  possessed  good  will,  but  was  without 
knowledge  of  music  and  had  scarcely  a  voice.  In 
an  apology  to  the  public  I  stated  that  Mdlle. 
Borchardt  being  indisposed,  another  artist  had  at 
^moment's  notice  kindly  consented  to  sing  the  part 
of  "  Maffio  Orsini,"  but  that  "  with  the  permission 
of  the  audience  she  would  omit  the  brindisi  of  the 
third  act." 

This  seemed  little  enough  to  ask,  though  the  part 
of  "Maffio  Orsini"  without  the  famous  drinking  song, 
"  II  segreto  per  eeser  felice,"  was  only  too  much  like 
the  celebrated  performance  of  Hamlet  with  the  part 
of  the  Crown  Prince  of  Denmark  left  out. 

It  being  quite  understood,  however,  that  the 
brindisi  was  to  be  omitted,  the  singer  left  out  on 
her  own  account  and  by  my  special  directions 
(scarcely  necessary,  it  must  be  admitted)  the  legend 
of  the  opening  scene.  Cut  out  the  legend  and 
drinking  song,  and  nothing  of  the  part  of  "  Maffio 
Orsini"  remains  except  the  few  bars  of  defiance 
which  this  personage  has  to  address  to  "  Lucrezia 
Borgia  "  in  the  finale  of  the  first  act.  These,  how- 
ever, can  be  sung  by  some  other  artist,  and  an 
audience  unacquainted  with  the  opera  will  probably 
pot  complain  if  they  are  not  sung  at  all.  The 
brindisi  of  the  banqueting  scene  could  not,  of  course, 
have  been  omitted  without  explanation.  But  the 


TROVATORE  UNDER  DIFFICULTIES.  47 

necessary  apology  having  been  frankly  made  there 
was  nothing  more  to  be  said  about  the  matter. 

I  hoped  that  Mdlle.  Borchardt  would  be  suffi- 
ciently recovered  to  undertake  next  evening  the 
part  of  "Azucena"  in  II  Trovatore.  But  "la 
grippe  "  still  held  her  in  its  clutches.  She  would 
have  sung  had  it  been  possible  to  do  so,  but  all 
power  of  singing  had  for  the  time  left  her,  and  it 
was  absolutely  necessary  to  replace  her  in  the  part 
which  she  was  advertised  to  play. 

In  the  first  act  of  11  Trovatore  "  Azucena"  does 
not  appear,  and  I  had  reason  to  believe,  or  at  least 
to  hope,  that  before  the  curtain  rose  for  the  second 
act  I  should  succeed  in  persuading  my  seconda  donna 
to  assume  in  the  second  and  succeeding  acts — in 
which  "  Leonora's  "  confidant  is  not  wanted — the 
character  of  "  Azucena." 

At  the  last  moment  my  eloquence  prevailed,  and 
the  seconda  donna  declared  herself  ready  to  under- 
take the  part  of  the  gipsy.  As  for  singing  the 
music,  that  was  a  different  question.  Already  in- 
structed by  me,  she  was  to  get  through  the  part  as 
well  as  she  could  without  troubling  herself  to  sing. 

Meanwhile  I  had  desired  Titiens,  Giuglini,  and 
Aldighieri  to  exert  themselves  to  the  utmost  in  the 
first  act ;  and  it  was  not  until  after  they  had  gained 
a  great  success  in  the  trio  which  concludes  this  act 
that  I  ventured  to  put  forward  an  apology  for  my 
new  and  more  than  inexperienced  "  Azucena.'' 

It  was  necessary  first  of  all  to  see  to  her  "  make 


43  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

up,"  and  as  soon  as  the  requisite  permission  had 
been  given,  I  myself  covered  her  face — and  covered 
it  thickly — with  red  ochre.  Unfortunately,  in  my 
haste  and  anxiety  I  forgot  to  paint  more  than  her 
face  and  the  front  part  of  her  neck.  The  back  part 
of  her  neck,  together  with  her  hands  and  arms, 
remained  as  nearly  as  possible  a  pure  white.  I  had 
told  my  new  "  Azucena  "  to  sit  on  the  sofa,  resting 
her  head  upon  her  hands,  and  this,  at  the  risk  of 
bringing  into  too  great  contrast  the  red  ochre  and 
the  pearl  white,  she  obligingly  did. 

I  had  arranged  that  after  the  anvil  chorus,  the 
opening  scene  of  the  second  act  should  terminate ; 
the  duet  between  "  Manrico  "  and  "  Azucena  "  being 
thus  left  out.  We  passed  at  once  to  the  "  Count  di 
Luna's  "  famous  solo,  "  II  balen,"  and  so  on  to  the 
finale  of  this  act.  In  the  third  act  "  Azucena  "  was 
simply  brought  before  the  Count  and  at  once 
condemned  to  imprisonment.  In  the  fourth  act 
she  had  been  strictly  enjoined  to  go  to  sleep  quietly 
on  the  ground,  and  not  to  wake  up  until  "  Manrico  " 
was  decapitated. 

Thus  treated,  the  part  of  "  Azucena  "  is  not  a  diffi- 
cult one  to  play ;  and  how  else  is  it  to  be  dealt  with 
when  the  contralto  of  the  Company  is  ill,  and  no 
adequate  substitute  for  her  can  possibly  be  found  ? 

The  devices,  however,  that  I  have  set  fortli  are 
obviously  of  a  kind  that  can  only  be  resorted  to 
once  in  a  way  under  stress  of  difficulties  otherwise 
insurmountable. 

Accordingly,  when  the  third  day  came  and  Mdlle, 


GIVGL1NI  AND  THE  DRUM-STICK.  49 

Borchardt  was  still  too  unwell  to  sing,  there  was 
nothing  left  for  me  but  to  announce  an  opera  which 
contained  no  contralto  part.  The  one  I  selected 
was  Norma,  a  work  for  which  our  principal  tenor, 
Signor  Giuglini,  had  conceived  a  special  hatred  and 
in  which  he  had  sworn  by  the  Holy  Virgin  and 
Madame  Puzzi  never  to  sing  again.  I  must  here 
break  off  for  a  moment  to  explain  the  origin  of  this 
peculiar  detestation. 

About  a  year  before  Giuglini  had  been  playing 
the  part  of  "  Pollio  "  to  the  "  Norma  "  of  Mdlle. 
Titiens  ;  and  in  the  scene  where  the  Druid  priestess 
summons  by  the  sound  of  the  gong  an  assembly 
which  will  have  to  decide  as  to  the  punishment  to  be 
inflicted  upon  a  guilty  person  unnamed,  Mdlle. 
Titiens,  on  the  point  of  administering  to  the  gong 
an  unusually  forcible  blow,  threw  back  the  drum- 
stick with  such  effect,  that  coming  into  violent 
contact  with  the  nose  of  Signor  Giuglini,  who  was 
close  behind  her,  it  drew  from  it  if  not  torrents 
of  blood,  at  least  blood  in  sufficient  quantity 
to  make  the  sensitive  tenor  tremble  for  his  life. 
He  thought  his  last  hour  had  come,  and  even 
when  he  found  that  he  was  not  mortally  wounded 
still  nourished  such  a  hatred  against  the  offending 
drum-stick  that  he  uttered  the  solemn  combination 
oath  already  cited,  and  required,  moreover,  that  the 
drum-stick  should  never  more  be  brought  into  his 
presence.  If  not  destroyed,  it  was  at  least  to  be 
kept  carefully  locked  up. 

VOL.  i.  • 


50  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEMOIRS. 

Mdrae.  Pnzzi  had  been  to  Giuglini  more  than  a 
mother.  Frequently,  indeed,  this  lady  helped  him 
out  of  scrapes  in  which  a  mother  would  probably 
not  have  cared  to  interfere.  She  rescued  him,  for 
instance,  more  than  once  from  enterprising  young 
women,  who,  by  dint  of  personal  fascinations,  of 
flattery,  and  sometimes  of  downright  effrontery,  had 
got  the  impressionable  singer  beneath  their  influence. 
When  things  were  at  their  worst,  Giuglini  would 
write  or  telegraph  to  "  Mamma  Puzzi,"  as  he  called 
her;  and  his  adopted  mother,  to  do  her  justice, 
always  came  to  his  relief,  and  by  ingenuity  and 
strength  of  will  freed  him  from  the  tyranny  of 
whatever  siren  might  for  the  time  have  got  hold 
of  him. 

When,  therefore,  he  swore  by  Madame  Puzzi  he 
was  serious,  and  when  he  pronounced  his  grand 
combination  oath, "  By  the  Holy  Virgin  and  Madame 
Puzzi,"  it  was  understood  that  he  had  spoken  his 
last  word,  and  that  nothing  could  ever  move  him 
from  the  determination  arrived  at  under  such  holy 
influences. 

Giuglini  was  in  many  things  a  child.  So,  indeed, 
are  most  members  of  the  artistic  tribe,  and  it  is  only 
by  treating  them  and  humouring  them  as  children 
that  one  can  get  them  to  work  at  all. 

The  only  two  things  Giuglini  really  delighted  in 
were  kites  and  fireworks.  Give  him  kites  to  fly  by  day 
and  rockets,  roman  candles,  or  even  humble  squibs 
and  crackers  to  let  off  at  night,  and  he  was  perfectly 


GIUGLINI  AND  HIS  FIREWORKS.  51 

happy.  Often  in  the  Brornpton  Road,  at  the  risk 
of  being  crushed  to  death  by  omnibuses,  he  has  been 
seen  lost  in  admiration  of  the  kite  he  was  flying, 
until  at  last  the  omnibus  men  came  to  know  him, 
and  from  sympathy,  or  more  probably  from  pity  for 
the  joy  he  took  in  childish  pleasures,  would  drive 
carefully  as  they  came  near  him. 

His  fireworks  proved  to  him  more  than  once  a 
source  of  serious  danger.  On  one  occasion,  in 
Dublin,  for  instance,  when  he  was  corning  home 
from  the  theatre  in  company  with.  Mademoiselle 
Titiens,  who  had  just  achieved  a  triumph  of  more 
than  usual  brilliancy,  the  carriage,  already  stuffed 
full  of  fireworks,  was  surrounded  by  a  number  of 
enthusiastic  persons  who,  heedless  of  the  mine 
beneath  them,  smoked  cigars  and  pipes  as  they 
at  the  same  time  leaned  forward  and  cheered. 

Let   us    now    return   to   the   doings    of    Sis^nor 

O  O 

Giuglini  in  connection  with  the  opera  of  Norma, 
in  which  he  had  sworn  his  great  oath  never  again 
to  appear. 

I  have  said  that  the  artist  is  often  child-like ; 
but  with  this  childishness  a  good  deal  of  cunning 
is  sometimes  mixed  up.  The  one  thing  he  cannot 
endure  is  life  under  regular  conditions.  Exciting 
incidents  of  some  kind  he  must  have  in  order  to 
keep  his  nerves  in  a  due  state  of  tension,  his  blood 
in  full  circulation.  It  annoys  him  even  to  have 
his  salary  paid  regularly  at  the  appointed  time.  He 
would  rather  have  an  extra  yum  one  day  and  nothing 


52  THE  MAPLESON  MEM01H*. 

at  all  another.  The  gratuity  will  give  him  unex- 
pected pleasure,  while  the  non-payment  of  money 
justly  due  to  him  will  give  him  something  to  quarrel 
about. 

The  artist  is  often  suspicious,  and  in  every  Opera 
Company  there  are  a  certain  number  of  conspirators 
who  are  always  plotting  mischief  and  trying  to  bring 
about  misunderstandings  between  the  manager  on 
the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  the  vocalists, 
musicians,  and  even  the  minor  officials  of  the 
establishment. 

Needless  to  say  that  the  singer  on  the  night  he 
sings,  his  nerves  vibrating  with  music,  cannot  at 
the  end  of  the  performance  go  to  bed  and  get  quietly 
to  sleep  ;  and  on  one  occasion,  at  Edinburgh,  I 
passed  on  my  way  to  my  bed  the  room  in  which 
Signer  Giiiglini  was  reposing,  with  a  cigar  in  his 
mouth,  between  the  sheets  and  listening  to  the  tales, 
the  gossip,  the  scandal,  and  the  malicious  sugges- 
tions poured  into  his  ears  by  the  camorristi  of  whom 
I  have  above  spoken. 

All  I  heard  was,  uttered  in  exciting  tones,  such 
words  as  "  extra  performance,"  "  almanac,"  "imposi- 
tion," "  Mapleson,"  and  so  on. 

I  knew  that  some  plot  was  being  hatched  against 
me,  but  what  it  could  be  I  was  unable  to  divine;  nor, 
to  tell  the  truth,  did  I  trouble  myself  much  about  it. 

Meanwhile  I  had  spoken  to  Mr.  Wyndham, 
manager  of  the  Edinburgh  Theatre,  about  the 
necessity,  should  Mademoiselle  Borchardt  still 


OPERATIC    CONSPIRACY.  53 

remain  ill,  of  performing  some  opera  in  which 
there  was  no  part  for  a  contralto.  He  saw  the 
necessity  of  what  I  suggested,  and  agreed  with 
me  that  Norma  would  be  the  best  work  to  play. 
I,  at  the  same  time,  informed  him  that  Giuglini  had 
sworn  "  by  the  Holy  Virgin  and  Madame  Puzzi " 
never  more  to  appear  in  that  work,  and  I  had  no 
reason  for  believing  that  he  had  forgotten  either 
his  impressive  oath  or  his  bruised  nose. 

It  was  resolved,  therefore,  to  announce  Signor 
Corsi  for  the  part  of  "  Pollio."  This  might  have 
suited  Giuglini,  from  the  superstitious  point  of  view  ; 
but  it  put  him  out  in  the  project  which,  prompted 
by  the  camorrtsti,  he  had  formed  for  extorting  from 
me  a  certain  sum  of  money.  He  was  engaged  to 
play  sixteen  times  a  month  at  the  rate  of  sixty 
pounds  a  performance.  I  had  wished  to  have  his 
services  four  times  a  week ;  and  in  signing  for  six- 
teen performances  a  month  it  did  not  occur  to  me 
that  now  'and  then  in  the  course  of  the  year  the 
tenor  might  be  called  upon  to  give  a  seventeenth. 
This  was  the  point  which  he  and  his  fellow-con- 
spirators had  been  discussing  in  his  bedroom  on 
the  night  when  it  had  struck  me  that  some  sort  of 
dark  scheme  was  being  prepared  for  my  confusion. 

It  had  been  pointed  out  to  Giuglini  that  if  he 
sang  on  the  31st  of  the  month,  as  I  originally  in- 
tended him  to  do,  he  would  be  sinsnntr  once  too 

o        c-» 

often — once  more  than  had  been  stipulated  for  in  his 
engagement;  and  thereupon  he  would  be  in  a  position 


54  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

to  enforce  from  me  whatever  penalty  he  might  choose 
to  impose.  This  he  deigned  to  fix  at  the  moderate 
sum  of  £160;  and  his  claim  was  sent  in  to  me  just 
before — in  consequence  of  the  continued  illness  of 
Mdlle.  Borchardt — I  had  decided  to  change  the  opera, 
and  out  of  respect  for  Signer  Giuglini's  own  feelings, 
to  assign  the  tenor  part  in  Nor  ma  not  to  him,  but  to 
an  artist  who  was  not  bound  to  keep  clear  of  this 
opera  either  by  a  peculiarly  solemn  oath  or  by 
painful  recollections  of  a  dab  on  the  nose  from  a 
vigorously-handled  drum-stick. 

The  opera,  then,  was  announced  with  Signer  Corsi 
in  the  part  of  "Pollio;"  and  there  seemed  to  be 
no  reason  why  the  performance  should  not  go  off  suc- 
cessfully. I  noticed,  however,  some  ominous  signs, 
and,  for  one  reason  or  another,  it  seemed  to  me  that 
the  carefully-laid  mine,  if  it  exploded  at  all,  would 
burst  that  evening. 

Giuglini  was  in  a  very  excited  condition,  and  I 
knew  that  whenever  he  felt  unduly  agitated  he  sent 
for  "  Mamma  Puzzi  '*  to  come  and  soothe  his  irri- 
tated nerves.  I  did  not  know  where  Mdrae.  Puzzi 
was ;  but  I  did  know  that  she  might  at  any 
moment  arrive,  and  I  therefore  gave  orders  that 
she  was  not,  under  any  circumstances,  to  be  ad- 
mitted. The  stage  door  was  closed  absolutely 
against  her.  With  or  without  explanations,  she  was 
not  to  be  let  in. 

When  the  night  for  the  performance  arrived  I 
took  care  to  see  that  Siguor  Corsi,  at  the  proper 


SUDDEN  APPEARANCE  OF  MDME.  PUZZI.      55 

time,  was  fitly  attired  for  the  character  of  "  Pollio." 
He  had  often  played  the  part  before  in  company 
with  Mdlle.  Titiens,  and  I  saw  no  reason  for  be- 
lieving that  his  performance  would  not  on  this,  as 
on  previous  occasions,  be  thoroughly  satisfactory. 
The  house  was  crowded.  "  Oroveso  "  had  sung  his 
air,  and  was  being  warmly  applauded.  I  stood  at  the 
wing  close  to  the  first  entrance  and  waited  for  Corsi 
to  appear.  The  music  in  announcement  of "  Pollio's  " 
entry  was  played  ;  but  no  "  Pollio  "  was  to  be  seen. 
I  motioned  to  Arcliti,  and  the  introductory  strains 
were  heard  again.  Still  no  "  Pollio." 

I  rushed  to  Corsi's  room  in  order  to  find  out  the 
meaning  of  the  delay,  when,  to  my  consternation  and 
horror,  I  saw  Corsi  seated  in  a  chair  with  Mdme. 
Puzzi — Mdme.  Puzzi,  to  whom  all  access  to  the 
theatre  had  been  so  strictly  forbidden  ! — pulling  off 
his  fleshings  (she  had  already  divested  him  of  his 
upper  garments)  while  Giuglini  was  hurriedly  taking 
off  his  costume  of  ordinary  life  in  order  to  put  on 
the  uniform  of  the  Roman  soldier. 

Giughni,  I  found,  had  some  days  before  telegraphed 
to  Mdrne.  Puzzi  at  Turin  begging  his  "  mamma"  to 
hurry  to  Edinburgh,  where  her  child  was  in  a  terrible 
difficulty;  and  to  Edinburgh  she  had  come. 

Mdme.  Puzzi,  refused  admission  at  the  stage  door, 
had  before  the  raising  of  the  curtain  gone  round  to 
the  pit  entrance,  paid  for  her  place,  climbed  over 
into  the  stalls,  and  then  clambered  from  tho  stalls  to 
the  orchestra,  and — most  difficult  of  all  these  gym- 


56  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

nastic  performances — from  the  orchestra  to  the  stage. 
*She  had  then  made  her  way  to  the  dressing-rooms, 
and,  finding  Corsi  already  costumed  for  the  part, 
had  by  persuasion  or  force  induced  him  to  change 
clothes  with  the  excited  tenor,  who,  by  the  very 
lady  who  was  now  helping  him  to  break  his  vow, 
had  sworn  never  to  play  the  part  he  was  on  the 
point  of  undertaking. 

The  curtain,  meantime,  had  been  lowered,  amidst 
deafening  protests  from  the  audience ;  and  it 
was  difficult  to  know  what  to  do,  until  Giuglini, 
having,  with  due  assistance  from  his  "  mamma," 
completed  his  toilette,  declared  himself  ready  to 
sing  the  part  of  "Pollio"  provided  one  hundred 
pounds  were  stopped  out  of  the  receipts  to  pay  him 
for  his  extra  performance  ! 

On  my  afterwards  taunting  Giuglini  with  having 
broken  his  vow,  he  declared  that  Mdrne.  Puzzi  pos- 
sessed the  power  to  liberate  him  from  it. 

When  the  audience  were  informed  that  the  part 
of  "  Pollio  "  would  be  played  by  Signor  Giuglini, 
they  were  naturally  delighted.  The  performance 
was  begun  again  from  the  beginning.  The  drum- 
stick, however,  in  accordance  with  Giuglini's  earnest 
prayer,  was  kept  in  the  property-room  under  lock 
and  key,  and  Mdlle.  Titiens  struck  the  gong  with 
her  hand. 

Afterwards  Giuglini  showed  himself  a  little 
ashamed  of  his  conduct;  and  of  the  hundred 
pounds  paid  to  him  for  the  extra  performance  he 


CONFUSION  OF  THE  CONSPIRATORS.  57 

presented  fifty  to  Mrs.  Wyndham,  with  a  request 
that  she  would  expend  the  money  in  the  purchase 
of  a  shawl.  Mrs.  Wyndham,  however,  would  do 
nothing  of  the  kind.  She  considered  that  I  had  been 
very  badly  treated,  and  made  over  the  suin  to  me. 

The  remaining  fifty  pounds  had  to  be  shared 
between  Giuglini  and  the  conspirators  who  had  put 
him  up  to  the  trick,  each  of  them  having  bargained 
beforehand  for  a  share  in  such  plunder  as  might  be 
obtained. 

Then  a  claim  was  put  in  by  Mdme.  Puzzi  for  her 
travelling  expenses  from  Turin.  This  her  affection- 
ate child  was  not  prepared  to  allow,  and  some 
violent  language  was  exchanged  between  him  and 
his  "  mamma."  How  the  delicate  matter  was  ulti- 
mately arranged  I  forget ;  but  in  the  end,  when  he 
had  satisfied  all  demands  made  upon  him,  Giuglini 
could  scarely  have  gained  much  by  his  too  elaborate 
stratagem. 


CHAPTER  V. 

RUNNING  OVER  A  TENOR— Tin  ENS  IN  ITALY— CASHING  A 
CHEQUE  AT  NAPLKS — A  NEAPOLITAN  BALL — APPROACH- 
ING A  MINISTER — RETURN  TO  LONDON. 

ONE  afternoon  about  four  o'clock,  during  the 
month  of  November,  1862,  Giuglini  sent  word  that 
he  would  be  unable  to  sing  the  part  of  "  Lionel "  in 
Martha  that  evening,  having  had  some  dispute  at 
home.  All  my  persuasion  was  useless;  nothing 
would  induce  him,  and  as  at  that  period  of  the  year 
there  were  no  tenors  to  be  found  in  London,  I  was  at 
my  wits'  ends  to  know  what  to  do,  and  I  ultimately 
decided  to  close  the  theatre,  having  no  alternative. 
I  therefore  got  into  a  hansom  and  drove  off  to  inform 
Mdme.  Trebelli,  also  Mdlle.  Titiens,  who  was  dining 
at  her  house,  that  there  would  be  no  need  of  their 
coming  down. 

On  turning  the  corner  of  the  Haymarket,  Picca- 
dilly, the  horse's  head  struck  a  gentleman  and 
forced  him  back  on  to  the  pavement.  The  cab  was 
stopped,  and  a  policeman  came  up.  The  gentleman 


EUNXING  OVER  A  TEN  OS.  59 

was  not,  however,  injured,  and  to  my  great  as- 
tonishment he  turned  out  to  be  an  English  tenor, 
who  had  been  lately  in  Italy.  On  learning  this  I 
politely  took  him  into  my  cab  and  inquired  what 
had  brought  him  back  to  England.  He  said  that  he 
had  been  performing  at  various  Italian  theatres,  and 
that  he  was  now  very  desirous  of  obtaining  a  debut 
in  this  country. 

I  at  once  informed  him  that  nothing  could  be 
easier,  and  that  it  would  be  best  for  him  to  make  his 
appearance  immediately,  without  any  further  prepa- 
ration, for  thus  he  would  have  no  time  to  reflect  and 
get  nervous.  I  then  quite  casually,  as  we  were 
going  along,  asked  him  if  he  knew  the  opora  of 
Martha,  to  which  he  replied  that  he  knew  nothing 
of  the  music  and  had  never  seen  the  work.  This 
for  the  moment  wrecked  all  my  hopes  as  to  saving 
my  receipts  that  evening,  the  booking  for  which  ex- 
ceeded £600. 

My  impulse  was  to  stop  the  cab  and  put  him 
out ;  but  first  I  sang  to  him  a  few  bars  of  M'appari. 
This  romance  he  said  ho  knew,  having  occasionally 
sung  it  at  concerts,  but  always  with  the  English 
words.  I  thought  no  more  of  ejecting  him  from 
the  cab,  and  continued  my  drive  up  to  St.  John's 
Wood. 

On  my  relating  to  Mdlle.  Titiens  and  Mdme. 
Trebelli  how  by  good  luck  I  had  nearly  run  over  a 
tenor  they  both  said  it  was  useless  to  think  of 
attempting  any  performance. 


60  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

I  assured,  however,  my  newly-caught  tenor 
if  he  would  only  be  guided  by  me  and  appear 
forthwith  he  would  make  a  great  success.  I  at 
once  set  to  work  and  showed  him  the  stage  business 
in  the  drawing-room,  requesting  Mdme.  Trebelli  to 
go  through  the  acting  of  the  part  of  "  Nancy,"  and 
Mdlle.  Titiens  through  that  of  "Martha."  I  ex- 
plained to  the  tenor  that  on  entering  he  merely  had 
to  come  on  with  his  friend  "  Plunkett,"  go  to  the 
inn  table,  scat  himself,  drink  as  much  beer  as  he 
liked,  and  at  a  given  signal  hand  over  the  shilling 
to  enlist  the  services  of  "  Martha"  at  the  Richmond 
Fair,  after  which  he  would  drive  her  away  in  a  cart. 
This  would  complete  Act  I. 

In  Act  II.  he  simply  had  to  enter  the  cottage 
leading  "  Martha,"  and  afterwards  to  attempt  to 
spin  (two  drawing-room  chairs  served  as  spinning 
wheels),  until  at  last  the  wheels  would  be  taken 
away  by  the  two  ladies.  When  the  spinning 
quartet  began  he  was  merely  to  laugh  heartily  and 
appear  joyous.  In  the  third  act  I  explained  that 
he  might  sing  his  song  provided  always  that  he 
confined  himself  to  Italian  words.  It  did  not  much 
matter,  in  view  of  the  public,  what  he  sang  if  he 
only  kept  clear  of  English ;  and  I  advised  him  to 
keep  repeating  M'appari  as  often  as  he  felt  in- 
clined. This  he  did,  and  in  consequence  of  a 
printed  apology  which  I  had  previously  circulated 
in  the  theatre,  to  the  effect  that  Signor  Giuglini 
had  refused  his  services  without  assigning  any 


II TIEN S  IN  ITALY.  61 

reason,  my  new  tenor  was  warmly  applauded,  re- 
ceiving for  his  principal  air  a  double  encore,  and 
afterwards  a  recall.  In  the  last  act  there  was,  of 
course,  nothing  for  him  to  do,  and  the  newspapers 
of  the  next  morning  were  unanimous  in  his  praise. 

The  singer  who  rendered  me  these  services  was 
Mr.  George  Bolton,  who  some  years  later  (his  voice 
having  by  that  time  become  a  baritone)  played  with 
great  success  the  part  of  "  Petruchio  "  to  Minnie 
Hank's  "  Katherine "  in  Goetz's  Taming  of  the 
Shrew. 

In  the  course  of  the  season,  which  ended  about 
the  18th  December,  I  had  accepted  an  engage- 
ment for  Mdlle.  Titiens  to  sing  at  the  San  Carlo  of 
Naples.  The  contract  was  made  direct  with  the 
Prefect,  at  the  recommendation  of  the  "  Com- 
missione."  The  leading  soprano  engaged  by  the 
manager  had  not  given  satisfaction,  and  the  "  Com- 
missione"  had  the  power,  before  handing  over  the 
subvention,  of  insisting  on  the  engagement  of  a 
capable  artist  so  as  to  restore  the  fortunes  of  the 
establishment. 

Naturally,  then,  on  my  arrival  with  the  great 
prima  donna  every  possible  difficulty  was  thrown  in 
our  way.  At  length  the  debut  took  place,  when 
Titiens  appeared  as  "  Lucrezia  Borgia."  The  vast 
theatre  was  crowded  from  floor  to  ceiling,  the  first 
four  rows  of  stalls  being  occupied  by  the  most 
critical  "  cognoscenti,"  who  literally  watched  every 
breath  aud  every  phrase,  ready  in  case  of  need  to 


62  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

express  hostile  opinions.  At  length  the  boat  came 
on,  and  "  Lucrezia  "  stepped  on  to  the  stage  amidst 
the  most  solemn  silence ;  and  it  was  not  until  the 
close  of  the  cdbaletta  of  the  first  aria  that  the  public 
manifested  its  approbation,  when  it  seemed  as  if  a 
revolution  were  taking  place.  Mdlle.  Titiens* 
success  went  on  increasing  nightly,  and  the  theatre 
was  proportionately  crowded. 

I  recollect  on  one  occasion  after  I  had  made  four 
or  five  applications  to  the  Prefect  for  the  money 
payable  for  the  lady's  services  he  handed  me  a 
cheque  the  size  of  a  sheet  of  foolscap  paper.  The 
amount  was  £800  for  her  firsb  eight  nights'  services. 
On  presenting  myself  at  the  bank  I  was  referred 
from  one  desk  to  another,  until  I  was  told  that  I 
must  see  the  chief  cashier,  who  had  gone  out  to 
smoke  a  cigar,  and  would  not  return  that  day.  I 
went  again  the  following  day,  and  after  waiting  a 
considerable  time  at  length  saw  him,  when  he  told 
me  to  go  to  a  certain  counter  in  the  bank  where  I 
should  be  paid. 

I  endorsed  the  cheque  in  the  presence  of  the 
cashier,  who  told  me,  however,  that  he  could  not 
hand  me  the  money  for  it  unless  my  signature  was 
verified  by  the  British  Consul.  On  going  to  the 
British  Consul  I  found  that  he  had  gone  to  Rome, 
and  would  not  be  back  for  a  Couple  of  days.  At 
length  I  obtained  the  official  verification  of  the 
signature,  and  presented  myself  for  the  seventh 
time  at  the  bank,  when  I  was  invited  by  the  cashier 


CASHING  A  CHEQUE  AT  NAPLES.  63 

to  go  down  into  the  cellars,  where  a  man  told  me  off 
the  amount  in  bags  of  silver  ducats,  which  he  drew 
from  a  large  iron  grating.  He  did  not  count  the 
sacks  he  was  giving  me,  bub  only  those  remaining 
behind  ;  which  left  me  one  bag  short.  This  he  did 
not  care  for;  he  only  wanted  his  own  remainder 
to  be  right. 

Eventually  the  manager  of  the  bank  insisted  on 
my  having  the  amount  stated  in  the  cheque,  and  I 
was  then  left  to  myself,  surrounded  by  my  bags, 
with  no  porters  to  move  them  for  me. 

On  my  returning  to  the  manager,  who  was  very 
polite,  and  telling  him  that  I  wished  for  the  money 
in  gold  napoleons,  he  said  it  would  be  very  difficult, 
and  that  in  the  first  place  I  must  hire  men  to  carry 
the  bags  of  silver  up  into  the  gold  department. 
Thereupon  I  bargained  with  four  ill-looking 
individuals  who  were  brought  in  out  of  the  streets, 
and  who  moved  the  bags  at  my  risk  to  the  gold 
department,  when  a  vast  premium  had  to  be  paid. 
On  my  leaving  the  bank  with  the  gold  I  saw  my 
four  lazzaroni  who  had  helped  to  move  the  silver, 
with  hundreds  of  others,  all  extending  their  hands 
and  following  me. 

I  drove  with  difficulty  to  the  British  Consul,  who 
happened  to  be  a  banker,  followed  by  this  vast 
multitude ;  for  such  a  sum  of  money  had  not  been 
seen  for  a  long  time  in  or  about  Naples.  I  had  now 
to  pay  another  large  premium  to  get  a  bill  on 
London  for  my  gold,  and  this  concluded  the  matter, 


64  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

which  had  occupied  me  altogether  seven  days  and  a 
half. 

After  the  next  payment  had  become  due  I  went 
three  or  four  times  to  the  Prefect,  but  could  never 
find  him.  One  day,  however,  about  twelve  o'clock, 
I  was  told  he  was  within,  but  that  he  had  a  head- 
ache, and  could  not  see  anyone.  I  nevertheless 
insisted  on  the  necessity  of  his  receiving  me,  saying 
that  otherwise  the  night's  performance  at  the  San 
Carlo  might  be  jeopardized.  I  was  invited  upstairs, 
where  his  Excellency  was  eating  macaroni  in  the 
grand  ball-room,  lying  on  a  sofa,  which  had  served 
as  a  bed,  he  having  returned  home  too  late  to 
mount  the  stairs,  whilst  about  eighty  Bersaglieri 
were  rehearsing  a  selection  from  Rigoletto  for  a  ball 
he  was  going  to  give  that  evening.  The  sound  was 
deafening. 

The  Prefect  was  very  polite,  and  gave  me  another 
of  those  large  cheques,  which  with  a  little  manipu- 
lation I  induced  the  British  Consul  to  change,  and 
get  me  a  bill  for  it.  The  Prefect  invited  me  very 
courteously  to  the  ball  he  was  giving,  at  which  over 
2,000  persons  were  present.  It  was  a  most  magni- 
ficent affair,  the  four  angles  of  the  large  room  being 
occupied  by  wild  boars  roasted  whole  (with  sundry 
fruits,  wines,  etc.),  to  which  the  guests  after  every 
dance  or  two  helped  themselves,  and  then  continued 
their  dancing. 

At  that  time  I  was  very  anxious  to  secure  the 
lease  of  the  San  Carlo  Opera-house,  and  by  the  aid 


A  HALL  AT  NAPLES.  65 

of  my  friend  the  Prefect  so  far  advanced  the  matter, 
that  it  wanted  but  the  sanction  of  the  Minister  at 
Turin  to  complete  it.  The  pay-sheet  of  the  orchestra 
contained  over  1£>0  names,  but  as  the  salaries  varied 
from  six  to  eight  shillings  a  week  I  made  no  objec- 
tion to  this.  The  heaviest  salary  was  that  of  the 
conductor  Mercadante  (composer  of  II  Qiuramento, 
&c.)>  who  received  £5  a  week. 

On  leaving  Naples  I  went  to  Turin  to  present 
myself  to  the  Marquis  Braliam,  but  before  I  could 
get  my  card  forwarded,  even  to  the  first  room,  I 
was  obliged  to  make  a  monetary  advance.  On 
reaching  the  second  room  I  was  referred  to  another 
room  on  the  entresol.  It  was  impossible  to  gain 
entrance,  or  even  get  my  card  sent  further,  without 
the  help  of  a  napoleon.  On  going  into  the  fourth 
room  another  tax  was  laid  upon  me,  and  it  being 
evening  I  thought  it  better  to  go  home  and  reserve 
my  money  offerings  towards  meeting  the  Marquis 
Braham  until  the  next  day.  I  returned,  armed 
with  sundry  five-franc  pieces  and  napoleons ;  but  it 
was  not  until  the  fourth  day,  when  I  gave  an  extra 
douceur,  that  I  could  approach  him  at  all.  It  then 
appeared  that  someone  had  anticipated  me,  and  I 
was  recommended  to  wait  another  year.  I  left  for 
England,  and  the  matter  dropped. 


VOL.  I. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PaoDUCTiON  OF  GOUNOD'S"  FAUST" — APATHY  OF  THE  BRITISH 
PUBLIC — A  MANAGERIAL  DEVICE — DAMASK  CRDMB 
CLOTH  AND  CHINTZ  HANGINGS — HEROIC  ATTITUDE  OF 
A  DYING  TENOE — PKAYERS  TO  A  PORTMANTEAU. 

ON  my  return  from  Italy  I  set  to  work  preparing 
for  my  grand  London  season  of  1863,  and  entered 
into  several  important  engagements.  About  this 
time  I  was  told  of  an  opera  well  worthy  of  my  atten- 
tion which  was  being  performed  at  the  Theatre 
Lyrique  of  Paris.  I  started  to  see  it,  and  at  once 
decided  that  Gounod's  Faust — the  work  in  question 
— possessed  all  the  qualities  necessary  for  a  success 
in  this  country.  On  inquiry  I  found  that  Mr. 
Thomas  Chappell,  the  well-known  music  publisher, 
had  acquired  the  opera  for  England.  The  late  Mr. 
Frank  Chappell,  on  the  part  of  his  brother,  but 
acting  in  some  measure  on  his  own  responsibility, 
had  bought  the  Faust  music  for  reproduction  in 
England  from  M.  Choudens,  of  Paris ;  and  I  have 
heard  not  only  that  he  acquired  this  privilege  for 


PRODUCTION  OF  GOUNOD'S  "FAUST."  67 

the  small  sura  of  £40  (1,000  francs),  but  moreover 
that  he  was  remonstrated  with  on  his  return  home 
for  making  so  poor  a  purchase. 

The  music  of  an  opera  is  worth  nothing  until  the 
opera  itself  has  become  known,  and  Messrs.  Chappell 
opened  negotiations  with  Mr.  Frederick  Gye  for  the 
production  of  Faust  at  the  Royal  Italian  Opera. 
The  work,  however,  had  not  made  much  impression 
at  the  Theatre  Lyrique,  and  Mr.  Gye,  after  going  to 
Paris  specially  to  hear  it,  assured  his  stage  manager, 
the  late  Mr.  Augustus  Harris,  who  had  formed  a 
better  opinion  of  Gounod's  music  than  was  enter- 
tained by  his  chief,  that  there  was  nothing  in  it 
except  the  "  Chorus  of  Soldiers."  After  due  con- 
sideration Mr.  Gye  refused  to  have  anything  to  do 
with  Faust,  and  the  prospect  of  this  opera's  being 
performed  in  London  was  not  improved  by  the  fact 
that,  in  the  Italian  version,  it  had  foiled  at  Milan. 

Meanwhile  I  had  heard  Faust  at  the  Theatre 
Lyrique,  and,  much  struck  by  the  beauty  of  the 
music,  felt  convinced  that  the  work  had  only  to  be 
fitly  presented  to  achieve  forthwith  an  immense 
success  in  London.  Mr.  Chappell  was  ready  to 
give  £200  towards  the  cost  of  its  production,  and 
he  further  agreed  to  pay  me  £200  more  after  four 
representations,  besides  a  further  payment  after  ten 
representations. 

Certain  that  I  had  secured  a  treasure,  I  went  to 
Paris  and  bought  from  M.  Choudens  a  copy  of  the 
score,  the  orchestral  parts,  and  the  right  for  myself 


68  THE  MAPLESON  MEUOIltS. 

personally  of  performing  the  work  whenever  I 
might  think  fit  in  England.  I  then  visited  Gounod, 
who  for  £100  agreed  to  come  over  and  superintend 
the  production  of  what  he  justly  declared  to  be  his 
masterpiece. 

I  was  at  that  time  (as  indeed  I  always  was  when 
anything  important  had  to  be  done)  my  own  stage 
manager.  My  orchestral  conductor  was  Arditi; 
Titiens  undertook  the  part  of  "Margherita;"  Giuglini 
that  of  "  Faust ;  "  Trebelli  was  "  Siebel ;  "  Gassier 
*'  Mephistopheles  ;  "  and  Sautley  "  Valentine." 

Far  from  carrying  out  his  agreement  as  to  super- 
intending the  production  of  the  work,  Gounod  did 
not  arrive  in  London  until  nearly  seven  o'clock  on 
the  night  of  production ;  and  all  I  heard  from  him 
was  that  he  wanted  a  good  pit  box  in  the  centre  of 
the  house.  With  this,  for  reasons  which  I  will  at 
once  explain,  I  had  no  difficulty  whatever  in  pro- 
viding him. 

One  afternoon,  a  few  days  before  the  day  fixed 
for  the  production  of  the  opera,  I  looked  in  upon 
Mr.  Nugent  at  the  box-office  and  asked  how  the 
sale  of  places  was  going  on. 

"Very  badly  indeed,"  he  replied. 

Only  thirty  pounds'  worth  of  seats  had  been  taken. 

This  presaged  a  dismal  failure,  and  I  had  set  my 
mind  upon  a  brilliant  success.  I  told  Mr.  Nugent 
in  the  first  place  that  I  had  decided  to  announce 
Faust  for  four  nights  in  succession.  He  thought  J 
must  be  mad,  and  assured  me  that  one  night's  per- 


APATHY  OF  THE  BRITISH  PUBLIC.  69 

formance  would  be  more  than  enough,  and  that  to 
persist  in  offering  to  the  public  a  work  in  which  it 
took  no  interest  was  surely  a  deplorable  mistake. 

I  told  him  that  not  only  should  the  opera  be 
played  for  four  nights  in  succession,  but  that  for  the 
first  three  out  of  these  four  not  one  place  was  to 
be  sold  beyond  those  already  disposed  of.  That 
there  might  be  no  mistake  about  the  matter,  I  had 
nil  the  remaining  tickets  for  the  three  nights  in 
question  collected  and  put  away  in  several  carpet 
bags,  which  I  took  home  with  me  that  I  might 
distribute  them  far  and  wide  throughout  the 
Metropolis  and  the  Metropolitan  suburbs.  At  last, 
after  a  prodigious  outlay  in  envelopes,  and  above 
all  postage  stamps,  nearly  the  whole  mass  of 
tickets  for  the  three  nights  had  been  carefully  given 
away. 

I  at  the  same  time  advertised  in  the  Times  that  in 
consequence  of  a  death  in  the  family,  two  stalls 
secured  for  the  first  representation  of  Faust — the 
opera  which  was  exciting  so  much  interest  that  nil 
places  for  the  first  three  representations  had  been 
bought  up — could  be  had  at  twenty-five  shillings 
each,  being  but  a  small  advance  on  the  box-office 
prices.  The  stalls  thus  liberally  offered  were  on 
sale  at  the  shop  of  Mr.  Phillips,  the  jeweller,  in 
Cockspur  Street,  and  I  told  Mr.  Phillips  that  if  he 
succeeded  in  selling  them  I  would  present  him  with 
three  for  the  use  of  his  own  family.  Mr.  Phillips 
sold  them  three  times  over,  and  a  like  success  was 


70  THE  AIAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

achieved  by  Mr.  Baxter,  the  stationer,  also  in  Cock- 
spur  Street. 

Meanwhile  demands  had  been  made  at  the  box- 
office  for  places,  and  when  the  would-be  purchasers 
were  told  that  "  everything  had  gone,"  they  went 
away  and  repeated  it  to  their  friends,  who,  in  their 
turn,  came  to  see  whether  it  was  quite  impossible  to 
obtain  seats  for  the  first  performance  of  an  opera 
which  was  now  beginning  to  be  seriously  talked 
about.  As  the  day  of  production  approached  the 
inquiries  became  more  and  more  numerous. 

"  If  not  for  the  first  night,  there  must  surely  bo 
places  somewhere  for  the  second,"  was  the  cry. 

Mr.  Nugent  and  his  assistants  had,  however,  but 
one  answer,  "  Everything  had  been  sold,  not  only  for 
the  first  night,  but  also  for  the  two  following  ones." 

The  first  representation  took  place  on  June  llth, 
and  the  work  was  received  with  applause,  if  not 
with  enthusiasm.  I  had  arranged  for  Gounod  to  be 
recalled ;  and  he  appeared  several  times  on  the 
stage,  much,  I  think,  to  the  annoyance  of  Arditi,  to 
whom  the  credit  of  a  good  ensemble  and  a  fine 
performance  generally  was  justly  due.  The  opinions 
expressed  by  several  distinguished  amateurs  as  to 
the  merits  of  Gounod's  admirable  work  were  rather 
amusing.  The  late  Lord  Dudley  said  that  the 
only  striking  pieces  in  the  opera  were  the  "  Old 
Men's  Chorus  "  and  the  "  Soldiers'  March ; "  which 
was  going  a  step  beyond  Mr.  Gye,  who  had  seen 
nothing  in  the  work  but  the  "  Soldiers'  Chorus." 


A  MANAGERIAL  DEVICE.  71 

Another  noble  lord,  when  I  asked  him  what  he 
thought  of  Faust,  replied  — 

"  This  demand  is  most  premature.  How  am  I  to 
answer  you  until  I  have  talked  to  my  friends  and 
read  the  criticisms  in  the  morning  papers  ?" 

The  paucity  of  measured  tunes  in  the  opera — 
which  is  melodious  from  beginning  to  end — caused 
many  persons  to  say  that  it  was  wanting  in  melody. 

The  second  night  Faust  was  received  more  warmly 
than  on  the  first,  and  at  each  succeeding  representa- 
tion it  gained  additional  favour,  until  after  the  third 
performance  the  paying  public,  burning  with  desire 
to  see  a  work  from  which  they  had  hitherto  been 
debarred,  filled  the  theatre  night  after  night.  No 
further  device  was  necessary  for  stimulating  its 
curiosity ;  and  the  work  was  now  to  please  and 
delight  successive  audiences  by  its  own  incontestable 
merit.  It  was  given  for  ten  nights  in  succession, 
and  was  constantly  repeated  until  the  termination  of 
the  season. 

So  successful  was  Faust  at  Her  Majesty's  Theatre 
that  Mr.  Gye  resolved  to  produce  it  at  once;  and 
he  succeeded  in  getting  it  out  by  July  2nd. 

The  following  was  the  cast  of  the  work  at  the 
Royal  Italian  Opera: — "  Margherita,"  Miolan-Car- 
valho(the  creator  of  the  part  at  the  Theatre  Lyrique); 
"  Siebel,"  Nantier  Didiee;  '"Mephistopheles,"  Faure; 
"  Valentine,"  Graziani ;  "  Faust,"  Tamberlik. 

The  success  of  Faust  at  the  Royal  Italian  Opera 
was  so  great  that  it  enabled  the  manager  to  keep 


72  THE  At. \PLESON  MEMOIRS. 

his  theatre  open  until  long  beyond  the  usual  period. 
On  the  1 5th  May  of  the  following  year  Faust  was 
reproduced  with  Mdlle.  Pauline  Lucca-  and  Signor 
Mario  in  place  of  Madame  Miolan-Carvalho  and 
Signor  Tamberlik.  Three  weeks  afterwards,  June 
7th,  the  part  of  "  Margherita  *'  was  assumed  for  the 
first  time  by  Adelina  Patti. 

Mr.  Gye,  who  had  purchased  of  M.  Gounod  "ex- 
clusive rights  "  over  the  work,  sent  to  inform  mo  that 
he  did  not  wish  to  interfere  with  my  arrangements 
during  the  season  already  begun,  but  that  for  each 
performance  given  at  Her  Majesty's  Theatre  he 
should  expect  in  future  to  be  paid,  and  that  mean- 
while he  had  a  claim  against  me  of  £800  for  per 
formance  of  the  work  given  in  London  and  the 
provinces  during  1803  and  1864.  I,  of  course, 
resisted  this  extraordinary  pretention  on  the  part  of 
Mr.  Gye;  for,  as  the  reader  has  already  been  in- 
formed, I  had,  before  producing  Faust,  purchased 
from  the  Paris  publishers  the  right  of  performing  it 
wherever  I  personally  might  think  fit.  Mr.  Gye 
brought  his  action,  of  which  the  result  was  to 
establish  the  fact,  painful  enough  for  M.  Gounod, 
that,  owing  to  some  defect  in  regard  to  registration, 
no  exclusive  rights  of  performance  could  be  secured 
for  Faust  in  England  by  anyone. 

After  the  close  of  the  season  of  1863  I  made  a 
concert  tour  in  the  autumn,  a  recital  of  Faust  being 
the  chief  attraction.  The  company  comprised  Mdlle. 
Titiens,  Mdme.  Trebelli,  Mdlle.  Yolpioi,  Signor 


DOCTORS  DIFFER.  73 

Betlini — who  had  just  married  Trebelli — and  Signer 
Volpini.  After  we  had  been  out  about  two  or  three 
weeks  Signer  Yolpini  became  very  ill,  and  whilst  at 
Birmingham  sent  for  a  leading  physician,  who,  on 
examining  him,  said  he  would  require  a  deal  of  at- 
tention, but  that  he  hoped  to  bring  him  round  in 
about  a  couple  of  weeks.  The  patient  replied  that 
on  no  account  would  he  separate  himself  from  his 
wife,  who  had  to  travel  to  some  fresh  city  daily,  but 
that  the  doctor  must  do  what  he  could  for  him 
until  he  left  the  following  morning  with  the  Com- 
pany. This  he  insisted  upon  doing. 

From  Birmingham  we  went  to  Bristol,  and  on 
arriving  the  sick  tenor  was  at  once  put  to  bed  and 
the  leading  physician  sent  for,  who,  on  examining 
him,  asked  who  had  been  attending  him.  On  the 
name  of  the  Birmingham  physician  being  mentioned, 
the  Bristol  physician  rejoined  :  "  A  very  able  man. 
One  of  the  very  first  in  the  profession."  The  patient 
had  been  in  good  hands. 

But  on  seeing  the  last  prescription  the  doctor  was 
astonished  that  his  predecessor  should  have  written 
such  a  thing ;  in  fact ,  he  could  scarcely  believe  it, 
and  it  was  fortunate  for  the  patient  he  had  left 
Birmingham  and  come  to  place  himself  under  his 
care. 

The  patient  informed  the  physician  that  on  no 
account  could  he  part  from  his  wife,  and  that  he 
would  have  to  move  off  with  the  Company  the  fol- 
lowing morning  to  Exeter. 


74  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

From  Exeter  we  went  to  Plymouth,  from  Ply- 
mouth to  Bath,  from  Bath  to  Oxford,  and  so  on 
during  a  space  of  some  two  or  three  weeks,  the  sick 
tenor  being  carried  from  the  hotel  to  the  railway  and 
from  the  railway  to  the  hotel,  and  each  medical  man 
of  eminence  making  the  same  observations  with  re- 
gard to  his  esteemed  colleague  in  the  previous  town ; 
each  one  exclaiming  that  had  Volpini  remained  in 
the  previous  city  he  must  have  died.  He  was 
carried  to  London,  and  there  he  remained,  as  all 
thought,  on  his  death-bed,  at  the  H6tel  Previtali, 
Panton  Square.  He  was  not  yet,  however,  destined 
to  die,  and,  as  I  am  about  to  relate,  it  was  a  miracle 
that  saved  his  life. 

About  this  time  I  had  engaged  Sims  Reeves  to 
sing  the  role  of  "  Faust"  on  certain  evenings  at  Her 
Majesty's  Theatre,  and  one  day  received  a  telegram 
from  the  eminent  tenor,  dated  "  Crewe,"  expressing 
his  astonishment  that  I  had  announced  him  for  that 
evening,  when  the  engagement  was  for  the  following 
one. 

I  at  once  went  off  to  Sims  Reeves's  house,  and 
learned  from  the  butler  that  his  dinner  had  been 
ordered  for  half-past  seven  o'clock.  I  thereupon 
informed  the  man  that  the  orders  had  been  changed, 
and  that  the  dinner  was  to  be  served  at  twelve 
o'clock  instead  of  the  time  originally  fixed.  I  ascer- 
tained that  Mr.  Beeves  was  to  arrive  at  Euston 
Station,  and  there  met  him,  accompanied  by  Mrs. 
Sims  Reeves. 


A  TENOR'S  CHINTZ  HANGINGS.  75 

While  she  was  busying  herself  about  the  general 
arrangements,  I  got  the  tenor  to  myself  and  told  him 
the  difficulty  I  was  in,  to  which  he  replied  that  it  was 
quite  impossible  for  him  to  sing  that  evening,  as  he 
had  ordered  his  dinner  at  home.  I  at  once  explained 
that  I  had  postponed  it  for  a  few  hours,  and  that  a 
light  dinner  was  being  prepared  for  him  in  his 
dressing-room  at  the  theatre. 

The  suddenness  of  my  proposition  seemed  rather 
to  amuse  him,  as  he  laughed ;  and  I  was  delighted 
to  get  a  kind  of  half-promise  from  him  that,  provided 
I  mentioned  the  matter  to  his  wife,  he  would  con- 
sent. 

At  this  moment  she  appeared,  asking  me  what  I 
was  talking  about  to  her  husband.  One  of  us  began 
to  state  what  the  object  in  view  was,  when  she  ex- 
claimed — 

"It's  all  nonsense;  but  I  can  well  understand. 
Mapleson  is  an  impresario,  and  wants  to  ruin  you  by 
making  you  sing." 

She  then  asked  me  how  I  could  possibly  think  of 
such  a  thing  when  the  chintz  and  the  crumbclothof 
his  dressing-room  had  not  been  fixed  ? 

It  was  the  custom  of  Mrs.  Reeves  to  hang  the 
walls  with  new  chintz  and  place  a  fresh-mangled 
white  damask  cloth  on  the  floor  the  nights  her 
husband  sang;  and  on  this  occasion  the  sacred 
hangings  had  gone  to  the  wash. 

I  explained  that  I  had  provided  other  chintz,  but 
to  no  effect.  Reeves  was  hurried  to  his  brougham 


76  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

and  driven  away,  his  wife  remarking  as  she  looked 
scornfully  at  me :  "  He's  only  a  manager !  " 

It  being  now  half-past  six  I  was  in  a  nice  state  of 
mind  as  to  how  I  could  possibly  replace  the  great 
tenor  in  Faust.  Signer  Bettini,  it  was  true,  had  on 
the  concert  tour  sung  portions  of  the  garden  scene 
and  the  duet  of  the  prison  scene  in  the  recital  of 
Faust  which  we  had  given  throughout  the  provinces. 
Signor  Volpini,  moreover — only  he  was  on  his  denth 
bed — knew  the  introduction  and  the  trio  of  the  duel 
scene.  Putting  all  this  together  I  decided  on  my 
course  of  action. 

First  I  called  on  Signor  Bettini,  requesting  him  to 
oblige  me  by  going  to  the  theatre. 

I  next  presented  myself  at  Volpini's  hotel,  when 
I  was  informed  that  I  must  step  very  quietly 
and  say  but  few  words.  On  entering  I  was  told 
by  the  invalid  in  a  faint  whisper  that  it  was  very 
kind  of  me  to  call  upon  him ;  and  he  wished  to  know 
whether  I  had  really  come  to  spend  the  evening  with 
him.  I  told  him  that  I  had  been  informed  on 
entering  that  my  visit  must  be  a  short  one. 

He  asked  me  again  and  again  what  could  possibly 
be  done  to  save  his  life,  as  he  had  tried  all  the 
doctors,  but  in  vain.  I  said  I  would  give  him  my 
advice  if  he  would  only  follow  it.  I  then  assured 
him  that  he  had  but  one  chance  of  recovery.  He  must 
first  allow  me  to  mix  him  a  pint  of  Chateau  Lafite 
and  a  couple  of  raw  eggs,  beaten  up  with  powdered 
sugar,  and  come  down  with  me  to  the  theatre,  where, 


HEROISM  OF  A  DYING  TENOR.  77 

after  drinking  it,  if  he  was  to  die,  he  could  die  like 
a  man  before  the  footlights. 

A  faint  smile  came  over  his  pallid  countenance. 
Of  course  he  thought  I  was  joking.  But  in  due 
course  the  Chateau  Lafite  appeared,  and  the  eggs 
were  beaten  up,  and  I  managed  to  make  him 
swallow  the  stimulating  beverage.  I  put  him  on 
his  flannel  dressing-gown,  took  the  blankets  off  the 
bed,  and,  wrapping  him  up  in  them,  carried  him  my- 
self in  a  four-wheeler  down  to  the  theatre. 

I  explained  to  him  that  he  would  have  very  little 
to  do,  beginning  simply  with  the  few  bars  of  the 
introduction  ;  after  that  nothing  but  the  music  he 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  singing  on  the  concert 
tour.  I  explained  to  him  that  although  "  Mephis- 
topheles,"  the  Prince  of  Darkness,  would  in  the 
eyes  of  the  public  transform  him  from  an  old  man 
into  a  young  one,  there  would  be  no  difficulty 
about  this  inasmuch  as  Bettini  would  continue  the 
part.  Later  on  he  could  sing  the  trio  in  the  duel 
scene,  where  with  his  lovely  voice  a  great  effect 
would  be  produced. 

The  long  and  short  of  it  was  I  induced  him 
to  dress;  and  all  now  seemed  in  good  order.  1 
explained  the  matter  to  Titiens,  Trebelli,  and 
Arditi ;  and  as  I  had  not  touched  a  particle  of  food 
since  nine  o'clock  that  morning,  I  went  next  door  to 
Epitaux's,  where  I  ordered  a  very  small  repast, 
pending  the  commencement  of  the  opera. 

I  had  liardly  seated  myself  at  the  table  when  my 


7  tf  THE  MAPLESOX  MEM  OIKS. 

servant  rushed  in,  stating  that  there  was  a  general 
row  going  on  amongst  the  artists,  and  that  they  were 
all  going  home.  The  doors  of  the  theatre  had  been 
opened,  and  the  apology  for  the  absence  of  Sims 
Reeves,  which  I  had  posted  on  the  outer  doors,  had 
been  accepted  by  the  public.  This  was  evident 
from  the  fact  that  over  £650  of  money  was  now  in 
the  house.  The  audience  must  be  already  a  little 
irritated  by  the  disappointment,  and  I  knew  that 
any  further  one  might  be  attended  with  serious 
consequences.  I  believed  that  there  would  bo  a 
riot  unless  the  representation  took  place. 

On  entering  the  stage-door  I  met  Mdlle.  Titiens, 
who  was  about  to  step  into  her  carriage,  going 
home.  She  told  me  it  was  useless  to  think  of  per- 
forming. This  was  at  ten  minutes  past  eight.  I 
begged  her  to  remain.  I  gave  orders  to  the  hall- 
keeper  not  to  let  anyone  out  of  the  place,  and  to  get 
two  policemen  to  assist  him.  I  then  crossed  the 
stage  to  the  dressing-room,  where  high  words  were 
going  on — first  between  the  two  tenors,  and  after- 
wards between  their  two  pretty  wives.  Mdine.  Vol- 
pini's  voice  was  uppermost,  and  I  heard  her  say  to 
Trebelli- 

"  Of  course  you  will  rejoice  I  My  poor  sick  hus- 
band brought  out  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  and  then 
simply  to  undertake  an  old  man's  part,  with  grey 
hair  and  beard  concealing  his  beauty;  whilst  your 
husband  is  to  come  on  and  make  all  the  love  in  the 
garden  scene,  and  get  all  the  applause." 


PRAYERS  TO  A  PORTMANTEAU.  79 

Mdme.  Trebelli  responded  by  snapping  her  fingers 
at  Mdme.  Volpini,  and  taking  her  husband,  despite 
my  entreaties,  from  the  theatre.  All  this  excite- 
ment tended  to  work  Volpini  up ;  and,  like  a  true 
artist,  he  said  he  would  do  his  best — even  if  he  had 
to  walk  through  the  scenes  in  which  he  was  un- 
acquainted with  the  music — rather  than  let  me  be 
disappointed. 

It  was  now  half-past  eight,  and  the  opera  was  on 
the  point  of  commencing.  This  I  had  ordered 
should  be  done  punctually.  Meanwhile  I  had  fol- 
lowed Mdme.  Trebelli  to  her  apartments  in  Regent 
Street.  The  excitement  had  made  her  quite  ill, 
and  she  was  totally  unable  to  appear  in  conse- 
quence. I  appealed  forcibly  to  her  husband, 
begging  him  if  he  would  not  sing  "  Faust "  to 
help  ine  by  taking  the  part  of  "  Siebel."  He  was 
a  very  good  musician,  and  as  at  this  time  he 
never  quitted  his  wife's  side  I  knew  that  he  must  be 
intimately  acquainted  with  the  music.  I  thereupon 
got  him  down  to  the  theatre  in  time  for  the  garden 
scene,  had  his  moustache  taken  off,  and  put  him  into 
his  wife's  clothes.  Everything  went  off  brilliantly, 
the  male  "  Siebel"  and  the  dying  "Faust"  sharing 
with  the  admirable  "  Margherita  "  the  applause  of 
the  evening. 

The  sudden  exertion,  the  unwonted  excitement, 
had  really  the  effect  of  saving  Volpini's  life  ;  and  he 
lived  happily  for  many  years  afterwards. 

During  the  worst  stage  of  poor  Volpini's  illness, 


80  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

when, as  already  set  forth,  he  persisted  in  being  moved 
from  town  to  town,  wherever  his  charming  wife  had 
to  go,  they  were  both  astonished  one  night  to  find 
that  their  little  girl,  a  child  of  three  or  four  years  of 
age,  had  got  out  of  bed,  and  apparently  was  praying 
to  a  large  travelling  trunk  which  accompanied  them 
on  all  their  journeys.  Kneeling  before  the  huge 
box,  the  little  thing  was  heard  to  say :  *'  And  make 
my  dear  papa  well  again,  or  I  will  believe  in  you  no 


more." 


The  explanation  of  this  touching  mystery  was 
that  the  little  girl  had  been  in  the  habit  of  saying 
her  prayers  before  an  image  of  the  Holy  Virgin, 
which  the  family  carried  with  them  from  town  to 
town.  The  image,  or  picture,  was  now  enclosed 
within  the  travelling  trunk  which  had  not  yet  been 
unpacked,  and  the  affectionate  child  addressed  it 
where  she  knew  it  to  be. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

GARIBALDI  VISITS  THE  OPERA — GIUGLINI'S  TROUBLE  AT 
ST  PETERSBURG — GIUGLINI  VISITED  BY  THIENS — 
ALARM  OP  FIRE — PRODUCTION  OP  "MEDEA" — GBISI'S 
LAST  APPEARANCE — AN  ENRAGED  TENOR. 

IN  1864  my  season  opened  brilliantly,  and  on  the 
fifth  night  I  induced  Garibaldi,  who  was  then  in 
this  country,  to  visit  the  theatre ;  which  filled  it  to 
overflowing.  On  that  evening  Titiens  and  Giuglini 
really  surpassed  themselves ;  and  at  the  close  of  the 
opera  Garibaldi  told  me  he  had  never  witnessed  such 
a  spirited  performance,  and  that  he  had  been  quite 
carried  away  by  the  admirable  singing  of  the  two 
eminent  artists.  The  opera  was  Lucrezia  Borgia. 

Some  few  nights  afterwards  1  placed  Nicolai's 
opera,  the  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor,  before  the 
public,  under  the  name  of  Falstoff,  introducing  a 
charming  contralto  named  Bettelheim  ;  who  under- 
took the  role  of  "  Mrs.  Page,"  whilst  Titiens  imper- 
sonated "Mrs.  Ford,"  Giuglini  "  Fenton,"  Bettini 
"  Slender,"  Gassier  "  Mr.  Page,"  Santley  "  Mr. 

VOL  I.  ft 


82  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Ford,"  &c.,  &c.  The  magnificent  new  scenery  was 
by  Telbin.  The  opera  met  with  most  unequivocal 
success,  and  was  repeated  for  several  consecutive 
nights.  But,  as  with  so  many  other  operas,  the 
public  were  so  slow  in  expressing  their  approbation 
that  it  gradually  had  to  drop  out  of  the  repertoire. 
Shortly  afterwards  I  produced,  remounted,  Beet- 
hoven's Fidelio,  with  Titiens  as  the  heroine, 
which  was  given  some  seven  or  eight  nights  in 
succession  to  the  most  crowded  houses.  In  the 
winter  I  gave  my  usual  extra  performances  in  the 
provinces  and  in  London. 

Prior  to  the  close  of  the  London  season  of  1864 
Giuglini  signed  an  engagement  for  St.  Petersburg, 
receiving  a  very  large  honorarium  for  his  services. 
Regarding  himself  as  the  only  representative  of 
"  Faust,"  he  had  not  taken  the  precaution  of  stipu- 
lating for  his  appearance  in  this,  or,  indeed,  any 
other  part  in  his  repertoire.  On  his  arrival  he  was 
much  mortified  to  find  the  Covent  Garden  artists, 
of  whom  there  were  several,  always  working  and 
intriguing  together ;  and  to  Giuglini's  great  dismay 
the  part  of  "  Faust "  was  assigned  to  Signer  Tarn- 
berlik  ;  Patti  being  the  *'  Margherita  "  and  Nantier 
Didie*e  the  "  Siebel."  Now  passed  some  two  or  three 
weeks  before  Giuglini  could  obtain  a  debut.  One 
afternoon,  about  three  o'clock,  he  was  informed  by 
the  intendant  that  he  was  called  upon  to  perform  the 
role  of  "  Faust,"  Tamberlik  being  taken  suddenly 
ill.  This  was  indeed  good  news,  and  he  set  about 


GIUGLINI  AT  ST.  PETERSBURG.  68 

arranging  his  costumes  and  looking  over  the  music. 
Towards  six  o'clock  he  heard  it  rumoured  that 
Madame  Patti  would  be  too  indisposed  to  sing  the 
role  of  "  Margherita,"  and  that  he  would  have  to 
appear  with  some  debutante. 

This  thoroughly  unnerved  him,  and  he  himself 
became  indisposed,  which  he  at  once  notified  to  the 
intendant.  At  the  advice  of  some  friends  he  was 
induced  to  take  a  walk,  and  pay  a  visit  to  some 
acquaintances  to  spend  the  evening. 

About  ten  o'clock  the  door  was  rudely  opened 
without  any  warning,  and  an  employe  entered, 
accompanied  by  two  officials,  one  of  whom  politely 
raised  his  hat  and  said,  "Signor  Giuglini,  I  believe?" 
to  which  the  Signor  replied  that  he  was  Giuglini. 
They  thereupon  immediately  left.  Nothing  more 
was  heard  of  this  matter  until  about  a  fortnight 
afterwards.  It  being  pay  day  for  the  principal  artists, 
thaii.  afternoon  the  Imperial  Treasurer  called  at 
Giuglini's  house  with  a  roll  of  rouble  notes,  request- 
ing him  to  sign  the  receipt  for  his  month's  pay, 
wbich  Giugliui  at  once  did.  But  on  leaving,  tho 
treasurer  begged  to  draw  his  attention  to  the  notes, 
as  a  deduction  of  £150  had  been  made  from  his 
monthly  stipend  in  consequence  of  his  having  left 
the  house  on  the  day  he  was  reported  to  be  indis- 
posed. He  got  into  a  towering  fit  of  rage,  request- 
ing the  balance  to  be  handed  to  him,  as  he  was 
allowed  certain  days  of  indisposition  according 
to  the  terms  of  his  contract.  The  treasurer  replied 


84  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

that  according  to  the  provisions  of  that  clause  he 
should  have  remained  at  home  in  his  house  on  the 
day  of  his  reported  illness.  The  arguments  became 
very  warm,  and  Giuglini,  in  a  fit  of  rage,  threw  the 
whole  bundle  of  rouble  notes  into  the  stove,  which 
was  then  burning  ;  and  from  that  moment  his  reason 
seemed  to  have  left  him. 

On  the  termination  of  my  spring  concert  tour  in 
1865  we  began  a  season  of  opera  in  the  beginning  of 
March  at  Dublin,  Giuglini  promisiug  to  join  us  at 
the  conclusion  of  his  St.  Petersburg  engagement, 
which  ended  about  that  time. 

One  morning  at  breakfast  I  received  a  telegram 
from  London  :  "  Come  on  at  once.  Giuglini  arrived.'* 
I  was  indeed  delighted,  and,  having  notified  the 
good  news  to  the  Dublin  press,  left  immediately  for 
London.  On  my  arrival  at  Giuglini's  house  in 
Welbeck  Street  I  was  told  that  he  was  very  much 
indisposed  in  consequence  of  the  fatigues  of  the 
journey,  and  that  his  mind  did  not  seem  quite  right. 
I  went  upstairs  to  him  at  once.  He  was  very 
pleased  to  see  me,  but  to  my  astonishment  he  had 
no  trousers  on.  Otherwise  he  was  all  right. 

I  talked  with  him  some  time,  and  advised  him  to 
put  on  the  necessary  garment,  so  that  we  might 
start  that  evening  for  Dublin.  By  force  of  per- 
suasion I  at  last  obtained  his  consent  to  let  me  put 
his  trousers  on  for  him,  and  in  the  course  of  an 
hour  succeeded  in  getting  one  leg  in.  I  then 
ordered  some  oysters  for  him,  and  talked  to  him 


GIUGLINI  AND  HIS  TROUSERS.  85 

whilst  I  was  coaxing  in  the  other  leg.  This  I  at 
length  managed  to  do,  when  to  my  horror  I 
found  the  first  leg  had  come  out  again.  After 
wasting  the  whole  of  the  day  I  found  myself  too 
late  to  catch  the  Irish  mail,  and  the  Signor  still 
with  one  leg  only  in  his  pantaloons. 

Whilst  Giuglini  was  sleeping  I  inquired  as  to  the 
full  particulars  of  his  condition, and  was  informed  that 
he  had  arrived  from  St.  Petersburg  in  charge  of  a 
hired  courier,  who  simply  wanted  a  receipt  for  him. 
At  the  same  time  his  magnificent  fur  coats  and  other 
costly  clothing  were  all  missing.  He  had  made  the 
journey  in  second-class,  wearing  a  summer  suit 
although  it  was  the  depth  of  winter;  and  on 
examining  his  jewel  case  I  found  that  the  stones 
had  been  taken  out  of  everything  he  possessed, 
although  the  articles  themselves  were  there.  It 
was  indeed  a  sad  affair.  I  was  advised  to  place 
him  for  a  short  time  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Tuke, 
and  I  had  then  to  hurry  back  to  Ireland. 

On  my  return  to  London  I  wer-t  to  pay  Giuglini 
a  visit  at  Chiswick,  Mdlle.  Titiens  insisting  on  accom- 
panying me.  We  waited  some  time  during  which 
we  were  particularly  cautioned  not  to  approach  him. 
At  length  he  entered  ;  he  was  delighted  to  see  us 
and  talked  quite  rationally.  We  persuaded  the 
doctor  to  allow  us  to  take  him  for  a  drive,  the 
signor  at  the  same  time  expressing  a  wish  to  be 
driven  to  the  Star  and  Garter,  at  Richmond,  to  dine. 
To  this  the  keeper,  who  was  on  the  box  alongside 


36  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

the  coachman,  objected,  promising  Giuglini  that  if  he 
would  return  to  the  doctor's  he  should  have  a  nice 
large  plate  of  meat,  which  seemed  greatly  to  please 
him.  Giuglini  had  previously  complained  to  me 
that  he  was  made  to  drink  sherry,  a  wine  which  he 
particularly  disliked,  his  ordinary  drink  being  claret 
or  claret  and  water.  He  afterwards  sang  us  "  Spirto 
gentil  "  from  the  Favorita,  followed  by  "  M'appari  " 
from  Martha^  singing  both  airs  divinely.  The  only 
thing  peculiar  was  that  his  tongue  was  drawn  very 
much  to  the  'right,  and  that  he  had  to  stop  after 
every  ninth  or  tenth  bar  to  straighten  it. 

When  we  got  back  to  the  doctor's  Mdlle.  Titiens 
and  myself  stayed  to  dinner.  During  the  repast 
Giuglini,  who  had  been  looking  forward  to  his  plate 
of  meat,  carne  into  the  room  exhibiting  on  a  very 
small  plate  a  very  small  piece  of  meat. 

"  Look  what  they  have  given  me,  TheYese,"  he 
said  to  Titiens.  "  I  am  afraid  to  eat  it,"  he  added, 
in  a  tone  of  irony  ;  "  it  might  give  me  an  indiges- 
tion." 

My  firm  belief  is  that  if  I  could  have  got  both 
Giuglini's  legs  into  his  trousers  the  day  that  he 
arrived  in  London  I  should  have  saved  him.  Living 
something  like  his  ordinary  life,  among  his  old  com- 
panions, he  would  have  had  at  least  a  chance  ot 
getting  well. 

Thus  matters  went  on  until  the  London  season  ol 
1865  opened,  which  took  place  on  the  Saturday 
night  of  the  Easter  week.  I  had  made  a  series  of 


ALARM  OF  FIRE.  87 

improvements  throughout  the  theatre,  by  reducing 
considerably  the  number  of  the  private  boxes,  and 
enlarging  those  I  retained.  I  likewise  removed  the 
twelve  proscenium  boxes,  ten  each  side  of  the  stage, 
thereby  advancing  the  drop  curtain  some  16  feet 
nearer  the  public.  This  gave  me  much  more  room 
behind  the  scenes. 

Amongst  the  new  singers  I  introduced  was  Miss 
Laura  Harris,  who  afterwards,  as  Mdme.  Zagury, 
achieved  brilliant  success  throughout  the  whole  of 
Europe ;  also  Mdlle.  lima  de  Murska,  a  lady  who  at 
once  took  high  rank  from  her  phenomenal  vocal 
qualities.  I  also  presented  Signer  Foli,  a  young 
artist,  who  was  engaged  at  the  Italian  Opera  in 
Paris,  and  who  soon  became  a  public  favourite ; 
likewise  Signer  Rokitanski,  another  eminent  basso. 
Despite  the  blow  I  had  received  in  the  loss  of 
Giuglini  I  went  to  work  with  renewed  energies,  and 
presented  to  the  public  Beethoven's  Fidelio,  with  a 
magnificent  cast,  including  Titiens,  the  incomparable 
"  Leonora."  I,  moreover,  mounted  in  great  style 
Mozart's  Flauto  Magico,  Titiens  being  the  "Pamina,'' 
lima  de  Murska  the  "  Queen  of  Night,"  Sinico  the 
"  Papagena,"  and  Santley  the  "Papageno;"  whilst 
the  subordinate  parts  were  all  undertaken  by  prin- 
cipal artists. 

During  the  last  act  an  accident  occurred,  which 
might  have  been  very  serious,  inasmuch  as  the  house 
was  crowded  from  the  stalls  right  up  to  the  back  of 
the  gallery.  In  preparing  for  the  final  scene  some 


88  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIltS. 

of  the  gauze,  which  had  been  used  for  clouds  during 
the  evening,  caught  fire  over  the  gas  battens. 
Instantly  the  alarm  was  given,  when  one  of  the 
flymen,  at  the  risk  of  his  neck,  flung  himself  across 
the  stage,  balancing  himself  on  a  "  batten "  (a 
narrow  strip  of  wood,  some  forty  feet  long),  while 
he  cut  the  ropes  with  his  knife,  causing  the  burning 
gauze  to  fall  down  on  to  the  stage,  where  it  was 
extinguished  by  the  firemen.  Mr.  Santley,  who  was 
undertaking  the  role  of  the  "Bird-catcher,'*  remained 
on  the  stage  unmoved.  He  walked  forward  to  the 
audience,  and  addressed  them  in  these  eloquent 
words  — 

"  Don't  act  like  a  lot  of  fools.     It's  nothing." 
This  speech  had  an  immediate  effect ;  and  Santley 
continued  his  song  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  But 
for  his  presence  of  mind  the  loss  of  life  would  have 
been  most  serious. 

I  likewise  produced  Cherubim's  tragic  opera, 
Medea ;  a  work  considered  by  musical  amateurs 
one  of  the  finest  dramatic  compositions  ever  written. 
No  musician  ever  exercised  more  influence  on  his 
art  than  Cherubini.  His  compositions  are  of  the 
first  authority,  so  that  no  musical  library,  whether 
of  the  professor  or  the  amateur,  can  claim  to  be 
considered  complete  without  them.  The  part  of 
"  Medea "  was  represented  by  Mdlle.  Titiens.  In 
assuming  this  role  Mdlle.  Titiens  certainly  added 
the  final  touch  of  lustre  to  her  lyric  crown.  I  need 
scarcely  say  the  opera  was  magnificently  mounted, 


PRODUCTION  OF  MEDEA.  8ft 

even  to  the  smallest  detail.  It  was  particularly 
successful,  and  still  retains  its  place  in  the  repertowe^ 
I  was  interested  to  find  in  what  large  numbers- the 
relatives  and  descendants  of  Cherubini  were- attracted 
to  ray  theatre  by  the  announcement  of  his  Medea. 
Naturally  they  all  expected  free  admissions,  even  to 
great-grandchildren  and  third  cousins. 

The  season  was  a  very  successful  one.  In  the 
autumn  I  started  the  regular  provincial  opera  tour, 
Mario  being  my  principal  tenor,  vice  Giuglini.  We 
commenced  in  Manchester,  where  Mario's  unrivalled 
performances  in  Faust,  Rigoletto,  Martha,  Ballo  in 
Maschera,  and  Don  Giovanni  attracted  crowded 
houses.  We  afterwards  visited  Dublin,  proceeding 
thence  to  Belfast,  Liverpool,  etc.,  terminating,  as 
usual,  about  Christmas. 

In  the  early  part  of  January,  1866,  I  made  a  very 
successful  concert  tour,  giving  no  less  than  one 
hundred  and  twenty  concerts  in  some  seventy  cities 
in  sixty  successive  days,  with  two  very  strong 
parties  :  Titiens,  Trebelli,  Santley,  Stagno,  and  Bossi 
in  one;  and  Grisi,  Lablache,  Mario,  Foli,  and  Arditi 
in  the  other;  ending  up  with  a  brilliant  series  of 
operas  with  casts  combined  from  the  two  parties  in 
the  northern  capital  and  at  Glasgow,  where  Mdme. 
Grisi  distinguished  herself  in  the  roles  of  "  Lucrezia 
Borgia,"  "  Norma,"  "  Donna  Anna,"  etc. 

Thus  matters  went  on  until  the  London  season. 
On  each  occasion  when  I  visited  Giuglini  I  found 
no  improvement,  and  it  was  ultimately  decided  that 


90  Til  E  MAPLE  SON  MEM  OIKS. 

a  sea  trip  might  benefit  him.  He,  therefore,  left 
London  in  a  sailing  ship  for  Italy.  I  never  saw  him 
afterwards.  1  need  scarcely  add  that  his  loss  was 
irreparable. 

I  opened  my  London  season  of  1866  early  in 
April,  for  which  I  engaged  a  very  powerful  Com- 
pany, including  Mdme.  Grisi.  I  announced  her 
xtfigagement  in  the  following  terms  : — 

•'  Mr.  Mapleson  has  the  gratification  to  announce 
fthat  Ue  has  prevailed  on  Mdme.  Grisi  to  revisit  the 
£cei>e  of  her  eariy  triumphs,  and  again  to  appear  at 
the  Theatre,  her  previous  connection  with  which 
formed  one  of  the  most  brilliant  epochs  in  operatic 
history,  Mdme,  Grisi  will  once  more  undertake 
some  of  the  paKs  which  she  created,  and  in  her  im- 
personations of  which  will  be  revived  the  traditions 
obtained  direct  from  Rossini,  Donizetti,  and  Bellini. 
These  representations  can  only  extend  for  a  few 
nights,  and  they  will  derive  additional  interest  from 
the  fact  that  Mdlle.  Titiens  has  consented  to  take 
part  in  them  as  a  mark  of  respect  to  one  who  for  so 
many  years  reigned  absolutely  without  a  rival  on  the 
lyric  stage.*' 

I  was  justified  in  making  this  announcement  in 
consequence  of  the  magnificent  style  in  which  Mdme. 
Grisi  had  been  singing  during  our  spring  opera 
tour, 

Grisi  seemed  interested  and  affected  by  her  re- 
turn to  the  old  house  of  which  she  had  taken  leave 
twenty  yeari  previously.  The  old  habitues  came  in 


LAST  APPEARANCE.  »i 

large  numbers  to  see  her,  to  hear  her,  and  naturally 
to  support  her  with  their  applause  on  her  first 
(which  proved  also  to  be  her  last)  appearance.  This 
took  place  on  the  evening  of  May  5,  1866.  The 
Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  were  both  present. 

When  the  gondola  came  down,  from  which,  in  the 
first  act  of  Lucrezia  Borgia,  the  heroine  makes  her 
entry,  there  was  breathless  attention  throughout  the 
house.  The  great  vocalist  had  the  command  of  all 
her  resources,  and  sang  the  two  verses  of  "  Com'o 
bello  "  admirably,  omitting,  according  to  her  custom, 
the  cabaletta,  which  Titiens  and  all  other  "  Lucre- 
zias  "  made  a  point  of  giving. 

Well  as  she  sang,  I  noticed  some  signs  of  nervous- 
ness. She  had  been  visited  by  misgivings  before  the 
performance  began.  I  had  done  my  best,  however, 
to  reassure  her,  and  was  under  the  impression, 
judging  from  the  apparent  result,  that  I  had  suc- 
ceeded. But  her  hands,  I  remember,  just  as  she  was 
going  on,  were  extremely  cold.  I  took  them  in  my 
own,  and  found  that  they  were  like  stone. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  act,  on  the  conclusion  of 
the  scene  in  which  "  Lucrezia  "  is  taunted  and  re- 
proached by  her  victims  and  their  friends,  Mdme. 
Grisi,  accustomed  to  the  stage  of  the  Royal  Italian 
Opera,  remained  too  far  in  front,  though  at  a  point 
where,  at  Covent  Garden,  the  curtain  would  have 
fallen  between  her  and  the  audience.  It  was  other- 
wise at  Her  Majesty's  Theatre  (I  refer,  of  course,  to 
the  old  building),  where  the  stage  advanced  far  into 


9*  ThE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

the  audience  department;  and  when  the  curtain 
came  down  the  "  Lucrezia  *'  of  the  evening  found 
herself  kneeling  on  the  ground  (in  which  attitude 
she  had  defied  the  conspirators)  and  cut  off  by  the 
curtain  from  the  stage  behind.  This  placed  the  un- 
fortunate singer  in  a  ludicrous  and,  indeed,  painful 
position ;  for  she  had  a  stiffness  in  one  of  her  knees, 
and  was  unable  on  this  occasion  to  rise  without  the 
help  of  the  stage  attendants. 

Mdme.  Grisi  was,  of  course,  much  distressed  by 
this  contretemps.  She  had  recourse,  however,  to  the 
homeopathic  remedies  which  she  always  carried  with 
her,  and  after  a  time  was  herself  again.  These 
remedies  were  for  the  most  part  in  the  form  of 
stimulants,  which,  however,  Mdme.  Grisi  took  only 
in  the  smallest  quantities.  Her  medicine-chest  con- 
tained a  dozen  half-pint  wicker-covered  bottles, 
which  held,  besides  orgeat  and  other  syrups,  brandy, 
whisky,  hollauds,  port-wine,  and  bottled  stout. 

In  the  second  act  Mdme.  Grisi  got  on  very  well, 
especially  in  the  scene  with  the  bass  preceding 
the  famous  trio.  In  the  passionate  duet  with  the 
tenor,  just  when  the  Duke,  after  administering  the 
poison  .to  "  Gennaro,"  has  gone  away,  she  made  an 
unsuccessful  attempt  to  reach  the  A  natural ;  and 
the  failure  caused  her  much  confusion.  She  got 
through  the  performance ;  but  she  ran  up  to  me 
immediately  the  curtain  fell  and  exclaimed  that  it 
was  all  over  with  her,  and  that  she  never  could 
appear  again. 


GRISI  AND  MARIO'S  AMIABILITY.  93 

The  notices  next  morning  were  sufficiently  favour- 
able ;  but  it  was  evident  that  the  career  of  the  great 
vocalist  was  now,  indeed,  at  an  end.  Let  me  here 
say  a  word  about  Mdrae.  Grisi's  pecuniary  affairs. 

After  the  duel  between  her  husband,  M.  de  Melcy, 
and  Lord  Castlereagh  a  separation  took  place ;  and 
the  injured  spouse  made  an  arrangement  by  which  he 
was  to  receive  out  of  his  wife's  salary  the  moderate 
income  of  two  thousand  a  year.  This  she  was  to 
pay  as  long  as  she  remained  on  the  stage.  In  order 
that  the  famous  singer  might  enjoy  the  use  of  her 
own  earnings,  I  made  an  agreement  with  her  by 
which  on  my  provincial  tours  she  was  to  sing  for 
me  gratuitously,  while  I  at  the  same  time  engaged 
to  pay  Signor  Mario  £300  a  week.  For  this  salary 
the  two  admirable  artists  were  ready  to  sing  as 
often  as  I  liked.  They  were  most  obliging ;  full  of 
good  nature,  and  without  any  of  the  affectation  or 
caprice  from  which  so  few  singers  at  the  present 
day  are  free.  They  took  a  pleasure  in  their  per- 
formances, and  thought  nothing  of  playing  three  or 
four  times  a  week.  They  would  have  sung  every 
night  had  I  been  unreasonable  enough  to  ask  them 
to  do  so. 

Far  from  insisting  that  she  should  never  be  called 
upon  to  do  anything  that  was  not  expressly  set 
down  for  her  in  her  written  contract,  Mdme.  Grisi 
would  often  volunteer  her  assistance  in  cases  where 
it  was  really  very  useful.  In  Don  Pasquah,  for 
instance,  while  Mario  was  singing  the  beautiful 


94  THE  MAPLESOX  MEMOIRS. 

serenade  "  Com'e  gentil ! "  she  would  direct  the 
chorus  behind  the  scenes,  singing  herself  and  mark- 
ing the  time  on  the  tambourine. 

She  was  invaluable  to  Mario  in  many  ways,  not 
only  in  connection  with  his  art,  but  also  with  the 
occupations  of  his  ordinary  life.  She  was  always 
punctual,  and,  indeed,  a  little  before  the  time; 
whereas  Mario  was  invariably  late.  He  had  always  his 
cravat  to  tie  or  a  fresh  cigar  to  light  just  when  the 
last  moment  for  catching  the  train  had  arrived.  He 
was  the  most  inveterate  smoker  I  ever  knew.  He 
had  always  a  cigar  in  his  mouth,  except  when  he 
was  on  the  stage  and  actually  in  the  presence  of  the 
audience.  When  he  came  off,  if  only  for  a  moment, 
he  would  take  a  puff  at  his  still  burning  cigar,  which 
he  had  carefully  left  in  the  wings  where  he  would 
be  sure  to  find  it  again.  "  Faust "  in  the  garden 
scene  passes  for  a  few  moments  behind  some  bushes 
at  the  back  of  the  stage.  During  those  moments 
Mario  had  just  time  to  enjoy  a  few  whiffs, 
after  which  he  returned  to  continue  his  love- 
making. 

Mario  spent  large  sums  of  money  on  his  favourite 
weed,  and  thought  nothing  of  giving  away  a  box  of 
cigars  to  a  friend  for  which  he  had  paid  (to  some 
friendly  tobacconist  who  had  cheated  him)  £5  or 
£6  a  hundred. 

About  this  time  I  charged  Mr.  Telbin  and  his 
talented  sons  to  paint  me  the  whole  of  the  scenery 
for  Meyerbeer's  Dinorak,  which  was  brought  out  in 


IP  HI  GEN  I A  IN  TAURIS.  95 

due  course,  lima  do  Murska  appearing  as  the  de- 
mented heroine,  Gardoni  as  "  Corentino,"  and 
Santley  as  "  Iloel."  It  was  a  truly  magnificent 
performance,  well  worthy  the  reputation  of  the 
theatre. 

Shortly  afterwards  I  produced  another  classical 
opera,  which  was  gladly  welcomed  by  all  musical 
amateurs.  The  work  I  refer  to  was  Gluck's 
Iphigenia  in  Tauris — a  work  not  less  remarkable 
for  its  intrinsic  merits  than  for  having  been  the 
cause  of  one  of  the  most  fierce  and  prolonged 
artistic  controversies  on  record.  Paris,  ever  the 
champ  de  bataille  of  such  contests,  was,  figuratively 
speaking,  shaken  to  its  foundations  by  the  antagon- 
istic Gluckists  and  Piccinists ;  and  the  dispute  was 
only  ended  by  Gluck  leaving  France. 

This  work  was  likewise  magnificently  put  upon 
the  stage,  Titiens,  Santley,  and  Gardoni  really 
surpassing  themselves. 

I  afterwards  had  the  honour  of  introducing 
Mozart's  comic  opera,  II  Seraglio,  in  which  Mdlle. 
Titiens  appeared  as  "  Constauza,"  the  remaining 
personages  being  entrusted  to  Dr.  Gunz,  Signor, 
Stagno,  Rokitanski,  &c. 

One  evening,  when  the  opera  of  Rigoletto  was 
being  performed,  with  Mongini  as  the  "  Duke," 
feeling  tired,  as  I  had  been  working  in  the  theatre 
throughout  the  day,  I  went  home  just  before  the 
termination  of  the  third  act.  I  had  been  at  home 
about  three-quarters  of  an  hour  when  iny  servant 


aa  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

hurried  up  in  a  cab  to  inform  mo  that  the  curtain 
had  not  yet  risen  for  the  final  act,  and  that  a 
dreadful  disturbance  was  going  on  in  consequence 
of  some  question  with  Mongini,  who  was  brandish- 
ing a  drawn  sword  and  going  to  kill  everybody.  I 
immediately  slipped  on  my  clothes  and  went  down 
to  the  theatre. 

At  the  stage  door,  without  her  bonnet,  I  met  the 
tenor's  charming  wife,  the  only  person,  as  a  rule, 
who  could  control  him  in  any  way  ;  and  she  entreated 
me  not  to  go  near  him,  or  there  would  be  bloodshed. 
I  insisted,  however,  on  going  to  his  room  without 
delay,  as  the  curtain  was  still  down  and  the  public 
was  getting  tumultuous.  I  took  the  precaution  of 
buttoning  my  overcoat  across  my  chest,  and  in  I 
went,  my  first  words  being— - 

"  This  time,  Mongini,  I  hear  you  are  right  (Questa 
volta  sento  die  avete  ragione)'* 

With  this  preliminary  we  got  into  conversation, 
but  he  still  remained  walking  up  and  down  the 
room  with  nothing  but  his  shirt  on  and  a  drawn 
sword  in  his  hand.  I  saw  that  I  had  to  pro- 
ceed very  slowly  with  him,  and  began  talking  on 
indifferent  matters.  At  last  I  asked  him  the  details 
of  all  the  trouble.  He  thereupon  explained  to  me 
that  the  master  tailor,  who  had  been  requested  by 
him  in  the  morning  to  widen  his  overcoat  by  two 
inches,  had  misunderstood,  and  contracted  it  by 
two  inches.  I  wished  to  have  a  look  at  the  dress, 
which,  however,  was  lying  on  the  floor  torn  to 


AN  ENRAGED  TENOR.  97 

pieces.  I  assured  Mongini  that  the  man  should  be 
cruelly  punished,  and  he  and  his  family  put  upon  the 
streets  to  starve  early  the  next  morning. 

He  then  got  calmer,  and  I  casually  observed, 
"  By-the-bye,  is  the  opera  over  yet,  Mongini  ?  "  to 
which  he  replied, "  No,  it  is  not." 

"Never  mind  that,"  I  continued;  "the  public 
can  wait.  Everyone,  by  the  way,  is  talking  of  the 
magnificent  style  in  which  you  have  been  singing 
to-night." 

His  eyes  brightened,  and  he  said  he  should  like  to 
go  on  with  the  opera. 

"  Not  at  all  a  bad  idea  !  "  I  remarked. 

"But  I  have  no  dress,"  said  Mongini,  rather 
sadly  ;  "  it  is  destroyed." 

I  suggested  that  he  should  wear  the  dress  of  the 
second  act,  putting  on  the  breastplate  and  the 
steel  gorget  with  the  hat  and  feathers,  and  he  would 
then  be  all  right,  and  "  La  Donna  e  Mobile"  would 
make  amends  for  the  delay.  He  dressed  and  fol- 
lowed me  to  the  stage,  when  I  made  the  sign  for 
the  stage  manager  to  ring  up  the  curtain,  greatly  to 
the  astonishment  of  Mongini's  wife,  who  was  fully 
expecting  to  hear  that  I  had  been  run  through  the 
body. 

The  next  day  at  twelve  o'clock,  as  per  appointment, 
Mongini  came  to  my  office  to  be  present  at  the 
punishment  of  the  master  tailor.  I  had  taken  the 
precaution  to  inform  the  tailor,  who  was  a  single 
man,  that  he  had  a  wife  and  four  children,  and  that 

VOL.  i.  H 


98  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

he  was  to  be  sure  and  recollect  this.  I  called  him 
into  my  room  in  the  presence  of  Mongini,  and  told 
him  gravely  that  he  with  his  wife  and  children  must 
now  starve.  There  was  no  alternative  after  the 
treatment  Alongini  had  received  the  previous  even- 
ing. 

Mongini  at  once  supplicated  me  not  to  let  the 
children  die  in  the  gutter,  as  it  might  injure  him 
with  the  public,  and  he  ended  by  promising  that  if 
I  would  retain  the  tailor  in  my  service  he  would 
sing  an  extra  night  for  nothing. 


CHAPTER  VIIL 

PAYMENT  AFTER  PERFORMANCE — DISCOVERT  OF  MADGE 
ROBERTSON — MARIO  AND  THE  SHERIFF — GENEROSITY 
OF  THE  GREAT  TENOR — D^BUT  OF  CHRISTINE  NILSSON 
— DESTRUCTION  OF  HEB  MAJESTY'S  THEATRE — A  GREAT 

PHI  LANTHROPIST. 

AT  the  close  of  the  London  season  of  1866  we  went 
to  Ireland  for  the  usual  autumn  operatic  tour, 
stopping  en  route  at  Liverpool  to  give  a  morning 
concert.  The  rush  was  so  great  that  all  the  metal 
cheques  for  the  half-crown  seats  were  exhausted  and 
we  had  to  use  penny  pieces.  Numbers  of  the  public 
found  out,  therefore,  a  ready  way  of  getting  in  without 
payment.  As  soon  as  I  observed  this,  and  as  there 
were  still  many  hundreds  unable  to  obtain  admission, 
I  conducted  them  across  to  another  door  which  led 
into  the  orchestra.  There  being  no  money-taker,  I 
let  some  four  hundred  of  them  crowd  in,  impress- 
ing upon  them  that  they  would  have  to  pay  half-a- 
crown  apiece  as  they  came  out ;  and  I  must  add  that 
every  one  paid  up  punctually. 


100  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

We  left  Liverpool  after  the  concert  for  Dublin, 
where  we  fulfilled  a  very  profitable  engagement. 

After  leaving  Dublin  we  went,  early  in  October, 
to  Leeds,  and  afterwards  to  Hull,  at  which  latter 
place  I  recollect  well  that  a  full  rehearsal  of  Les 
Huguenots  was  necessary  in  consequence  of  a  new 
"  Queen  "  having  joined  the  company.  Both  Mario 
and  Titiens  complained  of  the  incident  and  wondered 
how  they  were  to  finish  the  rehearsal  in  time  to 
dine  by  a  quarter  past  three,  it  being  a  general 
rule  with  artists  not  to  eat  later  than  that  hour 
when  they  have  to  sing  the  same  evening.  We 
began  the  rehearsal  early ;  and  it  was  not  until  after 
two  that  it  was  concluded.  The  dinner  being  nearly 
ready  at  the  hotel,  I  went  in  a  carriage  to  fetch 
Mario  and  Titiens  back  from  the  theatre  without 
loss  of  time.  At  a  quarter  past  three  I  found  them 
both  seated  in  the  stalls,  witnessing  a  morning 
performance,  at  which  a  Miss  Madge  Robertson 
was  playing  in  a  piece  called  A  Wolf  in  Sheep's 
Clot/iing.  So  rivetted  to  the  spot  were  Titiens  and 
Mario — both  exclaiming  "  Do  not  disturb  us,  let  us 
wait  a  little  longer" — that  it  was  nearly  five  o'clock 
before  I  got  them  home,  when  it  was,  of  course,  too 
late  to  dine.  Not  that  they  regretted  this.  They 
both  told  me  that  I  ought  to  write  to  every  London 
manager  telling  them  what  a  charming  actress  they 
had  discovered.  I  need  hardly  say  that  the  Miss 
Robertson  of  those  days  is  now  Mrs.  Kendal,  more 
perfect  in  her  art  than  ever. 


MARIO'S  TROUBLES.  101 

I  again  started  my  concert  tour  in  the  early 
part  of  January,  1867,  with  Titiens,  Trebelli,  and 
others;  and  was  as  usual  pre-eminently  successful 
all  along  the  line.  Mario  joined  us  about  the  7th 
March  in  Scotland. 

About  this  time  he  experienced  considerable  worry 
through  being  served  with  various  writs  for  bills  of 
exchange,  for  which  he  had  received  no  considera- 
tion whatever,  and  which  had  been  accumulat- 
ing for  many  years.  In  more  prosperous  times 
preceding  the  period  in  question  he  had  frequently 
assisted  young  artists,  painters,  sculptors,  and  Italians 
generally,  who  had  come  to  this  country  with  recom- 
mendations to  him,  and  who  had  nearly  all  proved 
most  ungrateful.  It  was  computed  that  over 
£40,000  had  been  distributed  by  the  great  tenor 
on  various  occasions  amongst  his  compatriots  and 
others  seeking  aid. 

I  recollect  meeting  at  Pulham  one  Sunday  at 
dinner  a  young  sculptor  who  had  arrived  with  a 
letter  of  recommendation  to  Mario,  and  who  on 
presenting  himself  exclaimed  that  he  had  not  come 
to  borrow  money,  hearing  how  much  victimized 
Mario  had  been  by  others.  All  he  wanted  was  to 
bring  a  piece  of  sculpture  from  Rome  to  London, 
for  which  he  already  had  a  purchaser  in  view ;  and 
if  Mario  would  but  accept  a  bill  at  two  months, 
which  he  then  had  with  him,  he  would  within  a 
month  have  sold  his  work  and  the  money  could  be 
put  to  Mario's  credit,  so  that  the  bill  would  be 


102  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

punctually  met.  In  fact,  every  possible  device  wns 
resorted  to  by  persons  well  acquainted  with  his 
generous  nature — which  brings  me  to  the  case  in 
point. 

We  had  gone  through  a  most  arduous  tour, 
and  Mario  had  been  singing  four  times  a  week 
throughout  the  whole  time,  and  with  most  brilliant 
voice.  As  he  had  sung  four  nights  running 
during  the  week  I  am  speaking  of,  and  was  to 
be  replaced  the  following  evening  (Saturday)  by 
Signor  Tasca  in 'the  Huguenots,  he  devoted  his  last 
day  to  the  packing  of  his  luggage,  intending  to 
leave  by  an  early  train  for  York,  whence,  after  a 
night's  rest,  he  would  go  on  to  London,  presenting 
himself  on  the  Monday  for  rehearsal  at  the  Royal 
Italian  Opera,  Covent  Garden,  where  the  season 
was  to  commence  on  Tuesday. 

In  the  hall  at  the  Edinburgh  Hotel,  where  Mario 
had  put  up,  a  Sheriffs  officer  was  waiting  for  him  with 
a  writ  or  an  attachment  for  £100;  and  I  thought 
to  help  him  out  of  the  dilemma  by  the  following 
device,  knowing  how  delicate  and  sensitive  he  was. 
I  called  to  bid  him  good-bye,  taking  with  me  a 
closed  envelope  containing  a  £100  note.  I  by 
degrees  gave  him  to  understand  that  I  had  been 
looking  about  the  city  for  some  little  souvenir,  but 
without  success,  and  as  his  taste  was  so  superior  to 
mine,  if  he  would  select  one  in  memory  of  the 
pleasant  time  we  had  spent  together,  I  should  feel 
obliged.  I  at  the  same  time  handed  him  the  enve- 
lope. I  was  on  the  point  of  leaving  the  room  when 


KWDNESS  OF  MARIO.  103 

a  note  was  brought  to  me,  requesting  me  to  come 
to  the  theatre  at  once,  as  Tasca,  the  new  tenor,  had 
been  taken  ill  at  the  rehearsal,  and  was  obliged  to 
go  home.  Mario,  noticing  signs  of  displeasure 
across  my  brow,  insisted  upon  knowing  the  reason  ; 
and  after  some  pressure  I  informed  him  that  the  new 
tenor,  who  was  to  replace  him,  had  fallen  sick,  and 
that  I  must  be  off  to  see  how  the  matter  could  be 
remedied. 

My  dear  friend  patted  me  on  the  shoulder,  and 
said  he  knew  of  a  way.  The  opera  to  be  performed 
being  Les  Huguenots,  for  the  benefit  of  Mdlle.  Titiens, 
he  would  try,  he  said,  to  satisfy  the  public  in  the 
part  of  "  Raoul,"  and  thus  help  me  out  of  my 
difficulty.  I  readily  acceded,  and  asked  him  to 
name  any  terms  he  liked ;  but  he  assured  me  that  he 
should  consider  himself  amply  repaid  if  I  would  be 
present  at  Covent  Garden  on  the  following  Tuesday, 
when  he  was  to  appear  as  the  "  Duke  "  in  Un  Ballo  in 
Maschera,  as  that  would  encourage  him.  I  thanked 
him,  and  was  again  leaving  when  he  called  me  back 
to  express  his  displeasure  at  my  having  offered  him 
the  hundred-pound  note  in  the  envelope,  requesting 
me  at  once  to  take  it  back.  This  I,  of  course, 
declined  to  do,  until  at  last  he  said — 

"  If  no  one  is  to  have  it,  it  had  better  go  into  the 
fire ;  but  sing  I  do  not  unless  you  allow  me  to 
return  it  to  you  at  once.'* 

All  argument  was  useless.  Then  reluctantly  I 
left  him. 

The  following  Monday  night  I  started  for  London, 


104  THE  MAPLKSOX  MEMOIRS. 

where  I  attended  the  opening  of  the  Royal  Italian 
Opera  the  next  evening,  and  had  the  pleasure  of 
applauding  Mario,  and  complimenting  him  in  his 
dressing-room,  after  the  second  act.  He  could  not 
express  sufficiently  his  delight  at  my  being  present. 

The  London  season  of  1867  was  remarkable 
for  the  first  performance  in  England  of  Verdi's 
Forza  del  Destino. 

Prior  to  the  commencement  of  this  season  my  at- 
tention had  been  drawn  to  a  young  Swedish  singer, 
named  Christine  Nilsson,  who  had  appeared  at  the 
Theatre  Lyrique  of  Paris,  and  was  attracting  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  attention.  I  went  over  and  heard 
her  in  the  Magic  Flute,  and  was  delighted  with  the 
purity  of  her  voice.  She  was  also  singing  La 
Traviata  and  Martha.  I  at  once  concluded  an  en- 
gagement with  her. 

Before  disclosing  the  fact  to  Arditi,  or  any  other 
member  of  my  Company,  I  invited  Mdlle.  Titiens 
and  Mdme.  Trebelli,  with  Signor  and  Mdme.  Arditi, 
over  to  Paris  for  a  fortnight's  holiday  prior  to  the 
commencement  of  our  laborious  London  season. 
Amongst  the  places  of  amusement  we  visited  was  the 
The'iltre  Lyrique,  where  the  Swedish  singer  was  that 
night  filling  the  r6le  of  "  Martha."  I  must  say  I  was 
not  impressed  myself,  whilst  the  remainder  of  the 
party  thought  nothing  whatever  of  her.  T,  therefore, 
refrained  from  even  hinting  that  I  had  already  en- 
gaged her.  As  the  time  approached,  the  lady  insisted 
on  making  her  delut  as  "Martha."  I  plainly  foresaw 


CHRISTINE  NILS  SON'S  DfiBUT.  105 

that  it  would  be  the  greatest  possible  mistake  to 
acquiesce  in  her  desire;  and,  after  a  lengthy  discus- 
sion, Verdi's  Traviata  was  decided  upon.  I  at  once 
instructed  a  Bond  Street  dressmaker  to  rnake  her 
four  of  the  most  elegant  toilettes  possible,  discard- 
ing in  toto  the  costume  of  the  16th  century  so  far 
as  "  Violetta"  was  concerned. 

At  all  times  it  is  a  difficult  thing  for  a  manager  to 
employ  with  advantage  assistants  placed  among  the 
audience  to  support  either  a  new  singer  or  a  new 
piece  ;  for  grave  mistakes  are  sure  to  be  made,  thus 
defeating  the  object  for  which  the  supporters  were 
intended.  I  have  often  known  singers  send  in 
friends  to  applaud ;  but  they  invariably  begin  their 
uproar  on  the  appearance  of  the  singer,  even  before 
he  or  she  has  uttered  a  sound. 

On  one  occasion  I  recollect  at  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre  a  singer  appearing  in  11  Trovatore,  and  about 
a  dozen  bouquets  falling  at  her  feet  from  the  top 
boxes  before  she  had  sung  a  note. 

I  saw  that  great  judgment  was  necessary,  while 
convinced  in  my  own  mind  that  I  possessed  a  jewel 
of  the  first  water.  I,  therefore,  gave  the  very 
simplest  instructions  as  to  the  amount  of  encourage- 
ment necessary  for  my  fair  Swede  in  order  to  ensure 
the  rapture  of  London  ;  knowing  that  when  once 
serious  attention  had  been  drawn  to  her  she  could  do 
the  rest  herself  on  her  own  merits.  Being  very  fond 
of  rowing  in  my  spare  time  on  the  River  Thames,  I 
made  an  arrangement  with  the  head-boatman  at 


106  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Essex  Stairs,  near  where  I  resided,  to  supply  me  with 
some  twenty-five  horny-handed  watermen,  who  were 
merely  told  that  they  should  receive  one  shilling 
apiece  provided  they  did  not  applaud  Mdlle.  Nilsson 
— the  lady  who  would  appear  on  the  stage  at  the 
beginning  of  the  opera,  wearing  a  pink  dress. 
They  were  moreover  informed  that  when  the  first 
act  was  over  and  the  curtain  down,  they  would 
be  paid  a  shilling  apiece  for  each  time  they  could 
get  it  up  again ;  and  I  believe  they  succeeded 
some  five  or  six  times  in  their  repeated  attempts. 
That  was  all  that  was  ever  done  for  Mdlle.  Nilsson  ; 
her  extraordinary  talent  did  the  rest.  At  all  events, 
it  gave  her  a  fair  start,  and  her  debut  was  the  talk 
of  London. 

Mdlle.  Nilsson's  performances  were  continued 
throughout  the  season  with  increasing  success,  she 
appearing  successively  as  "  Martha,"  "  Donna 
Elvira,"  and  the  "Queen  of  Night"  in  the  Magic 
Flute.  She  repeated  the  Traviata  again  and  again, 
bringing  the  season  to  a  most  brilliant  termination. 

After  a  short  holiday  I  recommenced  my  regular 
autumn  tour  in  Dublin,  repeating  the  usual  Liver- 
pool morning  concert  with  the  usual  success. 

After  visiting  Liverpool  and  Manchester,  I  re- 
turned to  London  and  opened  my  season  on  the  28th 
October. 

In  consequence  of  my  having  engaged  a  female 
harpist  I  received  a  round  Robin  from  the  orchestra, 
threatening  to  leave  at  the  end  of  the  week  unless  I 
at  once  replaced  her  by  a  male  performer.  1  insisted 


BURNING  OF  HER  MAJESTY'S  THEATRE.    107 

on  receiving  the  week's  notice  to  which  I  was 
entitled,  and,  seeing  evidence  of  a  conspiracy,  took 
out  a  summons  against  every  member  of  my 
orchestra.  On  the  day  fixed  for  the  hearing  the 
musicians  excused  themselves,  through  their  solicitor, 
from  appearing,  their  case  not  being  ready.  After- 
wards I  myself  was  unable  through  indisposition  to 
appear  on  the  day  to  which  the  case  had  been  ad- 
journed. At  this  there  was  much  groaning  among 
the  defendants,  and  threats  were  uttered.  The 
Trade  Unions  were  very  active  just  then  throughout 
the  country,  and  the  players  had  been  promised 
unlimited  support  towards  maintaining  their  menaced 
strike.  At  last  the  case  was  heard  ;  but  on  the  very 
day  before  the  one  fixed  by  the  Magistrate  for  giving 
his  decision  an  occurrence  took  place  which 
rendered  all  further  proceedings  in  the  matter  un- 
necessary. 

Towards  the  end  of  November  an  insurance 
agent  called  upon  me  urging  the  necessity  of 
effecting  an  insurance  on  my  properties,  scenery 
and  dresses,  which  had  been  accumulating  since  the 
beginning  of  my  tenancy.  I  replied  that  in  conse- 
quence of  the  high  rate  of  premium  it  was  better  to 
let  things  take  their  chance.  Besides,  there  was  no 
probability,  under  my  management,  of  the  theatre 
ever  being  destroyed  by  fire.  Eventually  we  came 
to  terms  as  to  the  rate  to  be  charged. 

About  this  time  a  proposition  was  made  to  let  the 
theatre  to  Professor  Risley  for  his  Japanese  per- 
formances, to  run  from  Christmas  to  February.  A 


108  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

large  sum  of  money  was  to  be  paid  to  me,  and  it  was 
verbally  agreed  that  my  treasurer  should  be  retained 
by  the  new-comers  to  superintend  the  front  of  the 
house  and  the  monetary  arrangements. 

On  the  7th  December,  during  a  rehearsal  of  Fidelia, 
my  insurance  agent  called  to  complete  the  insurance. 
I  showed  him  the  inventories  of  the  different  de- 
partments, and  agreed  to  insure  for  £30,000 ;  but 
as  the  costumier's  list  was  not  at  hand,  and  the 
costumier  himself  was  out  at  dinner,  the  agent 
suggested  my  giving  him  £10  on  account  and 
keeping  the  matter  open  until  the  following  Monday, 
when  he  would  call  again.  Just  as  he  was  leaving  the 
room  my  treasurer  came  in,  stating  that  he  had  just 
heard  that  the  Japanese  people  did  not  intend  to 
avail  themselves  of  his  services  after  he  had  given 
them  all  the  information  respecting  the  working  of 
his  department. 

I  asked  whom  they  had  engaged.  He  mentioned 
the  name  of  Mr.  Kingston,  at  which  I  started,  and 
said  — 

"  If  Kingston  is  engaged,  good-bye  to  the  theatre. 
It  will  make  the  fifteenth  that  will  have  been  burnt 
under  his  management." 

On  hearing  this,  the  insurance  agent  stepped 
across  the  room  and  again  suggested  that  I  should 
hand  him  the  £10  to  keep  me  right  till  Monday. 

I  jokingly  said :  "  There  is  no  fear ;  "  and  he  took 
his  departure. 

I  remained  working   in   my  office  at  Pall   Mall 


AN  EARLY  BIRD.  109 

until  about  six  o'clock  that  evening.  As  I  was 
engaged  to  dine  at  Mdlle.  Titiens's  in  St.  John's 
Wood,  I  had  but  a  few  moments  to  put  my  head  into 
the  box-office,  which  was  just  closing,  and  ask  Mr. 
Nugent  for  some  opera  tickets  for  the  following 
night.  I  did  not,  according  to  my  custom,  go 
through  his  office  on  to  the  stage  (which  I  might 
have  done  while  he  was  getting  out  the  tickets), 
fearing  I  should  be  too  late  for  the  dinner. 

About  half-past  eleven  o'clock  that  evening  our 
party  was  alarmed  by  a  violent  ringing  of  the  bell. 
Then  my  servant  rushed  in  with  his  clothes  very 
much  torn,  uttered  some  inarticulate  sounds,  and  fell 
on  a  chair,  pointing  upwards.  On  looking  out  of 
the  window  we  saw  that  the  sky  was  bright  red, 
although  we  were  four  miles  from  the  fire.  Mdlle. 
Titieus  and  Signor  Bevignani  exclaimed  with  one 
voice  :  "  It's  the  theatre  !  " 

I  hastened  down  at  once,  accompanied  by  Bevig- 
nani, only  to  find  impassable  barriers  of  soldiers  and 
populace,  and  it  was  not  without  great  difficulty  I 
could  approach  the  building.  On  my  pointing  out 
to  the  firemen  certain  doors  which  they  ought  to 
break  open  in  order  to  recover  wardrobes,  music, 
&c.,  I  was  told  to  *'  mind  my  own  business."  They 
then  went  to  quite  another  part  and  began  chopping 
and  breaking,  whereas  had  they  allowed  themselves 
to  be  guided  by  me  they  might  have  saved  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  my  property.  It  was  not  until 
three  hours  afterwards  that  the  fire  reached  that 


110  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

part  of  the  theatre  which  I  had  pointed  out  as  con- 
taining things  which  might  have  been  saved. 

Lord  Colville  was  very  kind,  and  with  his  assist- 
ance I  reached  one  portion  of  the  building,  to  which 
he  accompanied  me,  enjoining  me  to  save  engage- 
ments or  any  important  documents  in  my  private 
rooms  at  Pall  Hall.  But  I  was  so  bewildered 
that  all  I  could  do  was  to  seize  a  dress  coat  and  an 
opera  hat,  with  which  I  came  downstairs,  leaving 
all  my  papers  and  documents  on  the  table.  I 
remained  until  two  or  three  in  the  morning.  Then, 
my  presence  being  useless,  I  went  home  to  change 
my  clothes,  which  were  freezing  on  me,  and  next 
hurried  to  Jarrett,  my  acting  manager. 

Jarrett  was  in  bed.  But  he  had  already  heard  of 
the  calamity,  and  expressed  great  regret.  I  desirtnl 
him  at  once  to  go  over  to  Chatterton,  the  then 
les&ee  of  Drury  Lane,  who  resided  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Clapham,  and  endeavour  to  secure  his 
theatre  from  March  till  the  end  of  July  before  he 
could  hear  of  my  disaster. 

"  Go  as  quickly  as  possible,"  I  said,  "and  if  the 
newspaper  is  lying  about  be  careful  he  does  not  see 
it." 

On  arriving  at  Chatterton's  the  first  thing  Jarrett 
saw,  lying  on  the  hall  table,  was  the  Times  news- 
paper. He  threw  his  top  coat  over  it,  and  waited 
quietly  downstairs  until  Chatterton,  who  was 
dressing,  could  receive  him.  Then,  like  the  able 
diplomatist  he  was,  without  appearing  at  all 
anxious,  he  concluded  a  short  agreement  whereby 


£30,000  FOR  £10.  Ill 

I  was  to  bave  the  use  of  Drury  Lane  for  the  follow- 
ing spring  and  summer  seasons,  with  a  right  to 
renew  the  occupation  for  future  years.  By  half- 
past  nine  o'clock  Mr.  Jarrett  was  abfe  to  hand  me 
the  agreement,  and  it  was  not  until  half-past  ten 
that  Mr.  Gye  drove  up  to  Mr.  Chattertou's  to  inform 
him  of  the  disaster  Mapleson  had  met  with,  and  at 
the  same  time  to  offer  him  £200  per  week  provided 
he  did  not  let  Drury  Lane  for  Italian  Opera. 

The  day  after  the  fire  I  received  letters  of 
sympathy  from  all  parts  of  the  country ;  likewise 
telegrams  of  condolence,  including  one  from  Her 
Majesty  the  Queen,  which  greatly  affected  me.  In 
fact,  my  nerves  were  so  unstrung  that  I  was  hardly 
master  of  myself.  In  the  course  of  the  next  day 
His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales  came  to  see 
me.  I  showed  him  over  the  ruins  of  what  the  day 
before  had  been  the  Opera-house.  After  his  depar- 
ture I  was  so  unnerved  that  I  took  to  my  bed  in 
the  adjoining  hotel,  and  remained  there  some  two 
weeks. 

The  Monday  after  the  fire  the  insurance  agent, 
with  whom  I  had  neglected  to  do  business,  called 
upon  me  to  assure  me  of  his  deep  sympathy,  since  if 
1  had  paid  him  the  £10  on  account  of  the  proposed 
insurance  he  would  now  have  had  to  give  me  a 
cheque  for  £30,000.  I  told  him  that  I  was  exceed- 
ingly glad  I  had  not  paid  him  the  £10,  as  I  certainly 
should  have  been  suspected  of  having  myself  caused 
the  fire,  and  should  never  afterwards  have  been 
able  to  set  myself  right  with  the  public. 


112  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Prior  to  my  recovery,  amongst  the  numerous 
callers  was  one  particularly  sympathetic  gentleman, 
who  caine  in  a  carriage  and  pair,  and  said  he  would 
see  that  the  theatre  was  rebuilt,  asking,  as  it  were, 
my  permission  for  this.  I  was  deeply  touched  by 
his  kindness.  Some  short  time  afterwards  he  wrote 
saying  that  he  thought  it  better,  for  my  sake,  that 
Covent  Garden  should  be  closed,  and  that  he  had 
seen  Mr.  Gye  and  made  terms  for  its  purchase.  On 
a  later  occasion  he  called  upon  me,  and  stated  that  the 
site  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre,  which  had  then  been 
cleared  by  Lord  Dudley,  being  such  a  desirable  one, 
he  was  in  treaty  with  the  Bank  of  England  to  lease 
it  to  them  at  a  considerable  ground  rent,  they  erect- 
ing the  building.  By  this  means,  he  explained,  the 
£80,000  then  lying  in  consols  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
erecting  the  theatre  could  be  handed  over  to  me.  But 
he  ultimately  consented  that  I  should  give  him  half. 

Notwithstanding  all  my  troubles,  within  three 
weeks  after  the  fire  I  was  already  on  the  road 
with  a  strong  concert  company  for  the  usual  spring 
tour ;  all  my  spare  time  being  utilized  in  the  crea- 
tion of  a  new  wardrobe,  music  library,  etc.  Whilst 
at  Manchester  Mdlle.  Titiens  aided  me  kindly  in 
the  purchase  of  various  goods,  stuffs,  cottons, 
needles,  etc.,  etc. ;  all  the  prime  donne  of  the  Com- 
pany volunteering  their  services  as  dressmakers  in 
order  to  have  everything  ready  for  my  Opera  season, 
which  was  to  commence  early  the  following  month 
in  Glasgow. 


A  GREAT  PHILANTHROPIST.  113 

Being  under  the  belief  that  this  fire  had  cancelled 
the  contract  I  had  already  made  at  the  Theatre 
Royal,  Glasgow,  I  got  entangled,  in  my  mistake  and 
hurry,  into  an  engagement  at  another  theatre,  the 
Prince  of  Wales's;  and  as  the  time  approached  for 
my  coming  to  Scotland  both  managers  threatened 
me  with  an  attachment  if  I  did  not  fulfil  my  engage- 
ment. In  fact,  I  found  myself  announced  at  both 
houses,  with  war  to  the  knife  threatened  by  the  two 
rival  managers.  At  one  time  they  proposed  to 
combine  against  me  and  leave  me,  with  my  expensive 
Company,  outside  in  the  cold.  But  about  ten  days 
before  the  date  fixed  I  paid  a  visit  to  each,  when,  out 
of  consideration  for  me  personally,  they  both  agreed 
to  have  me  alternately  at  their  theatres.  This  caused 
great  excitement  in  the  city,  and  as  the  adherents  of 
each  manager  mustered  in  force  the  receipts  at  both 
houses  were  very  great,  so  that  eventually  each 
manager  had  taken  more  money  in  the  half  number 
of  representations  than  he  would  have  received  had 
I  given  him  the  full  number. 

Prior  to  the  opening  of  my  London  season  of 
1868  I  received  another  visit  from  my  philanthropic 
friend,  Mr.  "VVagstaff.  He  told  me  that  he  had 
purchased  Mr.  Gye's  interest,  showing  me  the 
agreement,  and  he  considered  that  it  would  be  more 
desirable  that  Covent  Garden  for  the  future  should 
be  run  by  a  Company,  of  which  I  should  be  the 
manager,  receiving  some  £20,000  cash  as  a  con- 
sideration for  my  goodwill  and  for  any  property  I 

VOL.  i.  I 


114  THE  MAPLESON  MEM  OIKS. 

might  have  in  music  or  other  effects,  with  a  salary 
of  £3,000  a  year  as  long  as  I  chose  to  retain  my 
post,  and  a  fair  share  in  the  profits. 

I  became  quite  uncomfortable  at  having  so  much 
wealth  suddenly  thrust  upon  me,  and  wished  I  were 
back  in  my  old  position  of  trouble  and  anxiety.  In 
due  course  all  the  necessary  documents  were  signed, 
Mr.  Gye  at  the  same  time  writing  a  letter  to  a  high 
personage,  in  which  he  stated  that  his  long-sought 
desire  to  quit  the  cares  of  management  had  at  length 
been  satisfied,  and  strongly  urged  that  all  patronage 
should  now  be  transferred  to  me,  as  the  shattered 
state  of  his  health  would  preclude  him  for  the 
future  from  taking  part  in  operatic  affairs.  On 
entering  upon  my  duties  I  began  to  reorganize  the 
establishment  by,  in  the  first  place,  relieving  myself 
of  some  sixty  old  choristers  who  had  been  engaged 
from  time  immemorial,  and  introducing  in  their 
stead  my  fresh,  full-voiced  young  Italians  whom  I 
had  imported  the  previous  year. 

One  evening  a  card  was  brought  to  me  from  a 
young  gentleman,  the  son  of  an  old  musical  friend 
of  mine,  requesting  an  interview.  He  told  me  that 
he  had  been  promised  the  secretaryship  of  the  Grand 
Opera  (meaning  Her  Majesty's  and  Covent  Garden, 
united  under  the  new  arrangement)  for  seven 
years  at  a  salary  of  £800  a  year,  provided  he  lent 
£200  for  a  month  to  my  philanthropic  friend,  who 
had  organized  the  whole  thing.  It  appeared  to 
me  like  a  dream.  I  could  not  understand  it;  but 
still,  as  nothing  astonishes  me  in  this  world,  I  took 


TERROR  OF  A  BOY  BANKER.  115 

it  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  later  in  the  day  went 
over  to  Wands  worth  to  call  on  Mr.  Gye,  in  order  to 
see  how  matters  stood. 

On  my  entering,  Mr.  Gye  said  how  pleased  he 
was  to  leave  operatic  management  for  ever,  and  that 
he  wondered  how  he  had  found  the  nerve  to  continue 
it  so  long.  Before  I  could  say  a  word  to  him,  he 
desired  me  to  be  seated  and  handed  me  a  ci^ar,  when 

o        * 

he  began  to  inform  me  of  his  plans  for  the  future. 
He  told  me  he  had  secured  by  private  treaty  a  vast 
estate  in  Scotland  of  some  20,000  acres,  with  the 
right  of  shooting  and  fishing.  He  was  arranging, 
moreover,  to  purchase  a  large  estate  in  Oxfordshire. 
Yarious  guns  had  been  ordered,  with  fishing  rods 
and  other  appurtenances.  Steps,  too,  had  been 
taken  for  the  sale  of  the  house  in  which  he  was 
then  living. 

I  made  two  or  three  attempts  to  get  a  word  in, 
but  without  success;  and  at  last  I  had  scarcely  the 
courage  to  hint  that  the  projected  arrangements 
might,  possibly,  not  be  carried  out. 

I  explained,  however,  that  on  the  following 
Monday  a  small  payment  of  £10,000  would  be  due  to 
me ;  also  that  a  further  deposit  on  Drury  Lane  would 
become  payable,  and  that  I  should  make  that  deposit, 
as  it  was  probable,  nay,  very  possible,  that  I  should 
be  called  upon  to  resume  ray  position  at  Drury  Lane, 
instead  of  Covent  Garden.  I  at  the  same  time 
recommended  Mr.  Gye  at  all  events  to  be  prepared 
to  open  Covent  Garden,  as  it  wanted  but  some  three 
or  four  weeks  to  the  beginning  of  the  season.  This 


116  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

he  replied  he  could  not  do,  as  the  deposit  lio  was  to 
receive  would  not  be  payable  before  some  three  or 
four  weeks.  He  still,  moreover,  doubted  all  I  had 
been  telling  him. 

On  the  Monday  following  I  attended  nt  the 
Egyptian  Bank,  which  had  been  specially  hired  for 
the  occasion,  and  on  entering  with  my  order  for 
the  payment  of  £10.000,  found  one  small  boy 
seated  on  a  very  high  stool,  drawing  figiires  on  a 
sheet  of  blotting  paper.  On  my  demanding  £10,000 
the  boy  turned  deadly  pale  and  was  at  first  inclined 
to  run.  I  explained  to  him  that  it  was  not  his  fault 
if  the  money  was  not  forthcoming:,  but  I  requested 
him,  in  the  presence  of  a  witness  I  had  brought  with 
me,  to  present  seven  letters  which  I  already  had  in 
my  pocket,  each  one  containing  notice  to  the 
Directors  that,  they  having  failed  to  pay  me  my 
money  at  the  appointed  time,  my  contract  as 
general  manager  was  at  an  end.  I  at  once 
informed  Gye  of  what  had  occurred,  recommending 
him  again  to  get  his  Company  together  and  re- 
engage Costa  and  the  orchestra,  as  my  own  pros- 
pectus was  to  come  out  the  middle  of  that  week. 

From  what  I  afterwards  learned,  the  £200  my 
musical  friend's  son  was  to  have  advanced  prevented 
some  thousands  of  circulars  from  being  posted  for 
want  of  stamps,  and  the  printer  from  delivering 
the  remainder  of  the  circulars  he  had  prepared  for 
want  of  a  deposit.  I  must  add  that  Mr.  Gye 
repeatedly  thanked  me  for  my  straightforward  con- 


OUR  SUCCESS  AT  DRURY  LANE.  117 

duct    in    preventing    him    from   being   practically 
ruined. 

Considerable  changes  were  necessary  in  adapting 
the  Theatre  Royal,  Drury  Lane,  for  Italian  Opera. 
I  was  obliged  to  have  sundry  discussions  with  the 
Committee  before  I  could  be  allowed  to  alter  the 
floor  of  the  pit  and  boxes,  and  to  take  about  twenty 
feet  off  the  stage,  its  removal  enabling  me  to  add 
some  two  or  three  rows  of  stalls.  I  had,  moreover, 
to  decorate,  clean,  and  carpet  the  house  from  top  to 
bottom,  the  outlay  for  which,  irrespective  of  the 
rent,  cost  me  from  £3,000  to  £4,000.  A  further 
difficulty  presented  itself,  as  there  were  some  six  or 
seven  hundred  renters  who  were  at  that  time 
allowed  free  admission  to  any  part  of  the  theatre, 
and  it  was  only  by  temporizing  with  their  represen- 
tatives that  I  ultimately  made  an  equitable  arrange- 
ment satisfactory  to  all  parties. 

The  season  opened  in  due  course,  and  a  magnifi- 
cent Company  I  was  enabled  to  introduce :  Mdlle. 
Titiens,in  the  zenith  of  her  powers;  Christine  Nilssou, 
who  had  made  such  a  prodigious  success  the  previous 
season  at  Her  Majesty's;  also  Miss  Clara  Louise 
Kellogg,  Mongini,  Fraschini,  Santley,  etc.  The 
performances  were  really  of  the  first  order,  and 
Mozart's  masterpieces  were  given  with  such  strong 
combined  casts  as  to  attract  the  whole  of  London. 
In  fact,  the  success  was  such  as  to  paralyze  the 
efforts  of  the  rival  manager. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

PROPOSAL  FOE  AH  OPERATIC  UNION — TITIEHS  nr  DUBLIN — 
HER  SERVICES  AS  A  PACIFICATOR — AUTUMN  SEASON  AT 
COVENT  GARDEN — THE  COMBINATION  SEASON — IM- 
MENSE SUCCESS — COSTA'S  DESPOTISM — AN  OPERATIC 
CONSPIRACY — LUCCA  AND  HER  HUSBANDS. 

DUUING  my  successful  Drury  Lane  season,  in  the 
month  of  June,  1868,  a  letter  addressed  to  me  was 
left  by  an  unknown  person  in  the  hall.  The  super- 
scription on  the  envelope  was  in  a  disguised  hand, 
but  the  letter  enclosed  was  in  the  writing  of  Mr.  Gye. 
The  manager  of  the  Royal  Italian  Opera  proposed 
a  coalition  with  the  manager  of  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre,  and  Mr.  Gye  suggested  a  personal  inter- 
view on  the  subject.  Here,  however,  is  his  letter : — 

[coi'Y.] 
"  Springfield  House, 

"  Wand s worth  Road, 

"  June  19th,  1868. 
"  DEAR  MB.  MAPLF.SON, 

"  The  last  time  you  were  over  here  I 
believe  we  were  pretty  well  agreed  that  our 
interests  lay  rather  in  the  combination  of  the  two 


LETTER  FROM  MR.  GTE.  119 

operas  tlian  in  fighting  one  another.  As  we  shall 
both  of  us  be  making  our  engagements  for  the 
next  year,  if  anything  is  to  bo  arranged  between  us 
it  is  time  it  were  thought  about.  I  should  be  very 
glad  to  see  you  on  the  subject  if  you  still  remain  in 
the  same  mind  as  when  I  saw  you  last.  It  would 
perhaps  be  well  if  we  did  not  meet  either  at  Drury 
Lane  or  at  Covent  Garden.  AVould  you  mind 
coming  over  here,  or  would  you  prefer  our  meeting 
somewhere  in  town  ?  This  matter,  for  obvious 
reasons,  had  better  remain  strictly  between  ourselves 
for  the  present. 

"  Yours  very  truly, 

"  (Signed)         FREDERICK  GTE. 
"James  Mapleson,  Esq." 

When  I  met  Mr.  Gye  by  appointment  his  first 
proposition  was  that  we  should  work  together  at 
either  of  the  two  theatres,  the  other  one  being 
kept  closed  ;  and  that  I  should  take  a  quarter  of  the 
profits. 

I  suggested,  as  a  more  equitable  adjustment,  an 
equal  division  of  profits;  and  to  that  Mr.  Gye  at  last 
agreed. 

Articles  of  partnership  were  then  drawn  up  bind- 
ing us  to  remain  together  for  three  years  on  the 
basis  of  half  profits,  and  our  agreement  was  to  be 
kept  secret  for  the  next  six  months. 

At  the  close  of  my  engagement  at  Dublin,  in  the 
beginning  of  October,  1868,  a  great  demonstration 


123  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEMOIRS. 

took  place  in  honour  of  Mdlle.  Titiens,  it  being  the 
last  night  of  the  season.  Weber's  opera  of  Oberon  was 
performed,  and  after  Titiens  had  sung  the  exacting 
air  of  the  third  act,  "  Ocean,  thou  Mighty  Monster," 
a  most  animated  scene  took  place,  many  requiring 
the  great  air  to  be  repeated,  whilst  others  called  out 
the  names  of  different  Irish  songs.  The  uproar 
lasted  upwards  of  fifteen  minutes  before  silence  could 
be  restored,  when  it  was  decided  that  "  The  Last 
Rose  of  Summer  "  should  be  given. 

But  the  orchestra  had  no  music  and  the  conduc- 
tor would  not  venture  a  performance  without  it. 
Further  delay  and  further  uproar  took  place,  until 
at  length  Signor  Bettini,  who  had  undertaken  the 
role  of  "  Oberon,"  came  from  the  wing,  pulling  on  a 
cottage  piano,  whilst  Titieus  helped  the  conductor 
to  get  out  of  the  orchestra  in  order  to  accompany 
her.  As  Bettini  was  turning  the  piano  round,  in 
consequence  of  the  slope  of  the  stage  it  fell  right 
over,  causing  an  immense  cheer  from  the  gods, 
when  no  less  than  five  demons  (who  were  to  appear 
in  the  next  scene  of  Oberon)  rushed  from  the 
wings  to  raise  it  up  again  on  its  legs.  At  length 
order  was  restored,  and  such  was  the  silence  that 
when  Mdlle.  Titiens  was  on  the  point  of  beginning 
the  beautiful  air  I  remember  taking  a  pin  from  my 
collar  and  dropping  it  on  the  stage  in  order  to  give 
a  practical  and  effective  illustration  of  the  old  say- 
ing that  you  "  could  hear  a  pin  drop." 

No  sooner  had  the  singer  finished  the  last  verse 


AN  IRISH  TEAM.  121 

than  a  roar  of  admiration  was  heard,  so  loud,  so 
overpowering,  that  I  can  only  compare  it  to  t!:e 
belching  forth  of  huge  pieces  of  artillery.  At  the 
close  of  the  opera  a  great  crowd,  composed  of  the 
public  and  the  medical  students  who  habitually 
occupy  the  gallery  (always  without  their  coats, 
sometimes  without  their  waistcoats,  occasionally 
without  their  shirts),  was  awaiting  the  Queen  of 
Song's  departure.  They  had  actually  cut  the  traces 
of  her  carriage,  and  from  a  ship  chandler's  opposite 
had  got  two  long  coils  of  rope  which  they  fastened 
to  the  vehicle.  Titiens  shortly  afterwards  appeared, 
amidst  deafening  cheers,  and  the  procession  started. 
No  less  than  a  dozen  of  the  singer's  most  enthu- 
siastic admirers  were  on  the  roof  letting  off  fire- 
works. All  went  on  in  something  like  order  until 
with  our  two  long  strings  of  volunteer  horses  we 
arrived  at  Dawson  Street,  when,  in  consequence  of 
no  previous  arrangement  having  been  made,  one 
half  of  the  team  went  up  Dawson  Street  and  the 
other  half  down  Nassau  Street,  the  result  being  a 
violent  collision  against  Morrison's  Hotel.  It  was 
not  without  considerable  difficulty  and  delay  that 
things  could  be  readjusted. 

On  our  arriving  at  Shelbourne  Hotel  the  police 
found  themselves  powerless  to  cope  with  the  multi- 
tude. But  we  had  been  accompanied  by  a  young 
man,  who,  standing  on  the  carriage  step,  had  re- 
peatedly addressed  Mdlle.  Titiens  both  in  German 
and  in  French,  telling  her  that  she  had  "  nothing  to 


122  TUE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

fear."  On  arriving  at  the  door  of  the  Shelbourne 
he  gave  a  shrill  whistle  as  a  call  for  volunteer 
special  constables,  when  a  passage  was  at  once 
chared.  It  being  a  wet  night  the  enthusiasts 
around  us  made  a  carpet  for  Titiens  to  walk  on  by 
throwing  their  coats  on  to  the  pavement.  The  crowd 
lemained  opposite  the  hotel  for  over  an  hour,  dur- 
ing which  time  repeated  calls  were  made  for  a  song. 
But  the  gas  of  Mdlle.  Titiens's  sitting-room  had 
been  turned  low,  and  the  blinds  being  drawn  down 
she  hoped  it  might  appear  that  she  had  retired  for 
the  night. 

Shortly  afterwards,  however,  a  deputation  came 
up  accompanied  by  one  of  the  chief  constables, 
stating  that  if  madame  could  not  disperse  the 
crowd  the  consequences  would  be  very  serious,  as  it 
reused  to  move.  She  at  last  felt  compelled  to  go 
to  the  window  of  her  hotel,  when,  after  entreating 
for  silence,  she  addressed  the  crowd  in  these  words  : 
"I  will  sing  you  *  The  Last  Rose  of  Summer*  pro- 
vided you  promise  to  go  home  immediately  after- 
wards like  mice." 

And  sure  enough  they  did,  for  at  the  conclusion 
of  the  song  the  crowd  melted  away  in  dead  silence, 
not  one  person  being  left. 

The  inspector  afterwards  remarked  to  Mdlle. 
Titiens  that  if  ever  a  revolution  broke  out  in 
Ireland  they  would  send  over  for  her  to  quell  it. 

During  the  stay  of  my  Opera  Company  at  Dublin 
I  allowed  some  of  the  principal  artists  to  sing  in 


A  DUBLIN  STREET  BOW.  123 

various  churches  for  charitable  purposes.  Mdlle. 
Titiens's  services  were  sought  for  far  and  wide,  arid 
she  was  always  ready  to  devote  her  Sunday,  which 
was  the  only  day  of  rest  she  had  during  the  week, 
to  the  cause  of  charity.  On  one  occasion  I  recol- 
lect her  singing  in  a  poor  neighbourhood  near 
Thomas  Street,  when  many  persons  actually  stooped 
to  kiss  the  ground  where  she  had  trodden.  She  was 
held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  the  clergy. 

One  Saturday  evening,  after  the  termination  of  the 
opera,  several  of  my  Italian  choristers  were  wending 
their  way  home  when  they  were  accosted  by  some 
rowdy,  good-natured  Irishmen,  who  insisted  upon 
having  a  drink  with  them.  They,  not  comprehending 
the  language,  thought  the  men  were  robbers,  and 
placed  themselves  in  a  position  of  defence,  whereupon 
they  were  boldly  attacked  by  the  sons  of  Erin,  and  a 
free  fight  ensued,  in  which  some  two  or  three  Irish- 
men got  stabbed.  About  noon  the  following  day  it 
was  notified  to  me  that  some  four  or  five  of  my 
choristers  were  in  prison  on  account  of  this  serious 
affair,  and  would  be  kept  there  until  the  wounded 
men,  who  were  then  in  hospital,  were  sufficiently 
recovered  to  appear  against  them.  I  at  once  sought 
Mdlle.  Titiens's  aid,  who  went  with  me  to  one  of 
the  priests,  with  whom  we  afterwards  visited  the 
prison  where  our  choristers  were.  They  insisted 
that  it  was  only  a  small  affair,  and  that  they  had 
defended  themselves  against  their  aggressors. 

They  seemed  also  in  great  distress  because  the 


124  THE  MAPLE  SOX  MEMOIRS. 

police  authorities  had  taken  away  their  week's  salary 
which  they  had  in  their  pockets,  together  with  such 
pieces  of  jewellery  or  keys  they  had  about  them. 
By  the  advice  of  the  priest  we  afterwards  visited 
the  hospital,  and  I,  accompanied  by  the  surgeon, 
inspected  their  wounds,  which  were  triangular,  as 
if  caused  by  an  Italian  stiletto. 

My  clerical  friend  was  very  kind,  and  after  a  deal 
of  whispering  with  the  hospital  surgeons,  and 
afterwards  with  the  wounded  men  themselves, 
he  stated  that  they  might  have  done  it  in  acci- 
dentally falling  down,  but  that  it  was  not  their 
intention  to  appear  against  the  choristers,  who  were 
afterwards  bailed  out  by  Mdlle.  Titiens.  They  duly 
appeared  the  next  morning  at  the  police-court  and 
were  dismissed,  no  one  appearing  against  them. 

I  omitted  to  inform  the  reader  that  on  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  partnership  agreement  with  Mr.  Gye, 
which  was  to  be  kept  a  secret  for  the  next  six 
months,  I  rented  the  Royal  Italian  Opera  for  the 
autumn  of  18(>8  for  this  double  reason :  first,  that 
Her  Majesty's  Theatre  was  in  ashes,  and  that  I  had 
no  place  wherein  to  give  my  autumn  performances; 
and  secondly,  that  ray  being  seen  about  Covent 
Garden  would  in  that  case  cause  no  surprise,  whilst 
it  would  enable  me  occasionally  to  meet  Mr.  Gye 
in  order  to  discuss  our  coming  arrangements. 

During  my  autumn  season  at  Covent  Garden  I 
discovered  Mdlle.  Scalchi,  the  eminent  contralto- 
then  singing  at  a  building  which  had  been  a 


COSTA'S  DESPOTISM.  125 

circus.  Struck  with  the  lovely  quality  of  her  voice 
I  engaged  her  for  five  years,  events  fully  con- 
firming my  judgment  on  that  occasion.  About  this 
time  I  first  brought  to  this  country  Miss  Minnie 
Hauk,  a  young  singer  about  18  years  of  age.  She 
made  her  debut  at  Covent  Garden  as  "  Amina"  in 
La  Sonnambula,  her  next  part  being  that  of  "  Cheru- 
bino  "  in  Mozart's  Nozze  di  Figaro. 

After  due  discussion  with  Mr.  Gye  it  was  decided 
that  our  joint  enterprise  should  be  carried  on  at 
the  Royal  Italian  Opera  pending  the  rebuilding  of 
my  new  theatre. 

As  the  time  for  opening  the  season  approached 
Mr.  Gye  suggested  that  we  should  ourselves  make  all 
engagements  with  the  orchestra,  instead  of  leaving 
that  duty,  as  heretofore  at  the  Royal  Italian  Opera, 
to  Mr.  Costa.  This  famous  conductor  was  a  despot, 
not  only  in  the  musical  direction  of  his  orchestra, 
but  in  other  ways.  He  made  his  own  engagements, 
and,  leaving,  of  course,  the  manager  to  pay  the 
appointed  salaries,  took  care  to  be  always  pre- 
sent on  pay  day;  when,  in  the  case  of  any  short- 
coming on  the  part  of  a  musician,  he  would  stop  a 
portion  of  the  salary  payable  to  him,  if  not  the 
whole  amount.  It  was  his  custom  to  arrive  at  the 
theatre  half-an-hour  before  the  time  fixed  for  the  be- 
ginning of  the  evening's  performance.  He  then  took 
up  a  position  as  if  of  inspection,  and,  as  he  sat  on 
the  stage,  the  players  passed  him  one  by  one  as  if  in 
order  of  review.  I  remember  on  one  occasion  a 


126  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEMOIRS. 

young  violinist  arriving  with  mud  on  bis  boots,  and 
in  a  frock  coat.  Costa  pulled  bim  up  sbort,  and 
asked  bim  bow  be  could  venture  to  present  himself 
in  such  a  condition.  The  musician  replied  that  be 
had  just  arrived  from  the  Crystal  Palace,  and  had 
not  had  time  to  make  bis  toilet. 

"Go  home  instantly,*'  said  Costa,  "and  come 
back  with  clean  boots  and  in  evening  dress." 

By  the  time  the  violinist  (who  lived  in  some 
distant  suburb)  got  back  the  second  act  of  the  opera 
was  nearly  over  ;  and  when  on  pay-day  the  offender 
presented  himself  for  bis  monthly  salary  he  was 
informed  that  by  reason  of  his  absence  on  the  occa- 
sion in  question  one  week's  salary  was  stopped. 
This  sort  of  treatment  the  musicians  had  to  put  up 
with,  or,  as  the  only  alternative,  to  accept  their 
dismissal,  which  really  meant  the  loss  of  the  pro- 
vincial festivals  and  of  the  Sacred  Harmonic  Society. 

It  must  be  added  in  favour  of  Costa's  despotic 
ways  that  be  never  allowed  any  musician  that  he 
bad  engaged  to  be  replaced  by  a  substitute,  even  at 
rehearsal ;  a  practice  which  in  orchestras  less 
severely  governed  has  become  only  too  frequent,  to 
the  great  detriment  of  the  performances. 

Costa,  meanwhile,  by  mere  force  of  will,  had  gained 
so  much  authority  at  the  Royal  Italian  Opera  that 
the  manager  feared  him,  and  was  most  anxious  to 
be  rid  alike  of  bis  services  and  of  bis  tyranny. 

When  it  was  intimated  to  Costa  that  the  joint 
managers  proposed  to  reserve  to  themselves  the 


IMMENSE  SUCCESS.  127 

right  of  making  direct  engagements  with  the 
musicians  for  the  orchestra,  he  would  not  hear  of 
such  an  arrangement,  and,  much  to  Mr.  Gye's  satis- 
faction, resigned  his  post. 

In  view  of  the  new  works  we  proposed  to  give, 
and  of  the  large  number  of  rehearsals  that  would  be 
required,  two  conductors  were  now  engaged,  Arditi 
and  Vianesi. 

Long  before  the  theatre  opened  we  had  abundant 
signs  of  a  prosperous  season,  and  as  the  event  drew 
near  money  poured  in  from  various  sources.  We 
received  in  private  subscriptions  as  much  as 
£12,000.  The  booksellers'  subscriptions  amounted 
to  £29,000  more,  and  in  the  course  of  the  season 
the  box-office  sales  alone  brought  in  another 
£29,000.  Altogether,  counting  profits  from  the 
Floral  Hall  concerts  and  sums  received  for  the 
services  of  singers  at  public  as  well  as  private 
concerts,  we  received  during  the  season  of  1869  a 
grand  total  of  £80,000. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  paid  away  in  artists' 
salaries  £22,000;  for  working  expenses  (including 
chorus),  £13,000;  orchestra,  £7,500;  sundry 
charges,  £2,000. 

Our  whole  expenditure  came  to  £44,000,  leaving 
us  a  clear  profit  of  about  £36,000. 

Out  of  my  half-share  of  this  profit  I  had  to  pny 
for  insurance  and  poor  rates  £3,000.  Against  this 
Mr.  Gye  put  the  use  of  the  theatre,  which  was  his 
property. 


128  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

By  our  articles  of  partnership  Mr.  Gye  had  stipu- 
lated that  he  should  "  take  no  part  in  the  management 
of  the  theatre  unless  he  wished  to  do  so."  This  wish 
came  upon  him  after  about  a  fortnight. 

Our  success  during  this  season  proved  that  though 
two  rival  Italian  Operas  can  scarcely  be  carried  on 
without  loss  on  both  sides,  one  Italian  Opera  can  be 
made  the  source  of  very  considerable  profit.  Even, 
however,  with  a  monopoly  there  are  two  things 
essential  to  success.  The  operatic  manager  who 
would  prosper  must  appeal  to  the  public  with  a  very 
strong  Company,  and  with  new  works.  Such  casts 
as  we  secured  for  some  of  the  recognized  master- 
pieces of  dramatic  music  could  not  fail  to  fill  the 
theatre. 

Among  the  new  works  or  revivals  produced  at 
tlie  Royal  Italian  Opera  during  the  season  of  18G9 
may  be  mentioned  :  Ftdello,  The  Mayic  Flute,  Robert 
le  Viable,  Cherubini's  Medea,  Hamlet  (first  time  in 
England),  with  Nilsson  as  "  Ophelia,"  and  Don 
Bucefalo  (also  first  time  in  England).  Medea  had 
before  been  given  at  my  own  establishment  with 
Mdlle.  Titiens  in  the  tragic  part  of  the  heroine.  In 
Le  Prophete,  Titiens  and  Mongini  appeared  together, 
Titiens,  of  course,  as  "Fides,"  Mongini  as  "  John  of 
Leyden."  Don  Giovanni  was  played  with  Titiens 
as  "  Donna  Anna,"  Nilsson  as  "  Donna  Elvira,"  and 
Patti  as  "  Zerlina ;  "  while  the  part  of  the  dissolute 
hero  was  taken  by  Faure,  and  that  of  "  Don 
Ottavio  "  by  Mario. 


ANOTHER  INTRIGUE.  129 

About  this  time  the  secret  oozed  out  that  Mr. 
Jarrett,  who  had  come  with  me  from  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre  to  the  Royal  Italian  Opera,  had  made 
engagements  with  Mongini,  lima  de  Murska,  Tre- 
belli,  Christine  Nilsson,  Santley,  Foli,  Faure,  and 
Arditi.  Mr.  Jarrett,  who  in  after  years  became 
known  as  the  agent  of  Mdme.  Nilsson,  and 
especially  of  Mdlle.  Sarah  Bernhardt,  held  at 
that  time  a  post  with  vague  duties  attached  to  it 
at  the  Royal  Italian  Opera,  as  previously  at  Her 
Majesty's  Theatre,  which  during  the  combina- 
tion season  of  1869  was  being  rebuilt.  Jarrett 
also  acted  as  agent  to  Mongini,  lima  de  Murska, 
Trebelli,  and  Bettini — Mdme.  Trebelli's  husband. 
Many  years  before  he  had  been  in  partnership  with  Mr. 
George  Wood,  representing  the  firm  of  Cramer  and 
Co.,  the  well-known  music  publishers,  for  the  direc- 
tion of  an  Opera  Company,  and  had  been  left  by  his 
associate  in  the  lurch,  Mr.  Jarrett  being  called  upon 
to  meet  single-handed  liabilities  which  would  have 
been  far  too  much  even  for  the  partners  combined. 

Nor  was  Jarrett  particularly  well  disposed  to- 
wards the  manager  of  the  Royal  Italian  Opera,  in 
whose  orchestra  he  had  once  played  the  horn,  and 
who  in  one  of  those  orchestral  strikes  so  common 
in  the  history  of  Opera-houses  had  taken  a  leading 
part  as  against  the  manager.  Mr.  Gye  had  there- 
upon dismissed  him  ;  and  he  now  objected  to  have  in 
his  employment  an  agent  receiving  percentage  on 
the  salaries  of  his  singers. 

VOL.  i.  K 


130  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

If,  then,  in  the  opposition  he  proposed  to  organize 
against  the  Royal  Italian  Opera  Jarrett  injured  Mr. 
Gye,  he  would  not  be  sorry ;  while  if  as  a  result  of 
a  failure  at  Drury  Lane  he  injured  Mr.  Wood,  he 
would  be  very  glad.  Naturally,  however,  he  worked 
chiefly  with  a  view  to  his  own  success. 

Whether  Wood  mistrusted  Jarrett,  or  whether 
after  entering  into  partnership  with  him  he  mis- 
trusted the  success  of  the  project,  can  never  bo 
decided  ;  but  it  is  certain  that  after  securing  Drury 
Lane  Theatre  for  an  operatic  campaign,  Mr.  Wood 
repented  of  what  he  had  done,  and,  unknown  to 
Jarrett,  entered  into  negotiations  with  Mr.  Gye. 

The  advantages  of  an  operatic  monopoly  were  too 
obvious  for  Mr.  Gye  not  to  be  anxious  once  more  to 
secure  it.  This  he  was  prepared  to  do,  even  at  a 
considerable  sacrifice ;  only  it  was  I,  his  associate, 
not  he  himself,  who  was  to  make  it.  He  proposed 
to  me  that  Mr.  George  Wood  should  be  taken  into 
partnership,  and  that  the  profits  for  the  season 
should  be  thus  divided  :  Half  to  Gye,  one  quarter 
to  Mapleson,  one  quarter  to  Wood.  Mr.  Gye  was 
ready  at  that  time  to  take  in  any  number  of  partners 
who  seemed  in  a  position  to  threaten  his  justly- 
cherished  monopoly,  provided  always  that  their 
share  in  the  profits  came  to  them  out  of  my  half, 
not  out  of  his.  For  me  the  smallest  fraction  was 
deemed  sufficient;  he  himself, however, could  accept 
nothing  less  than  a  clear  moiety. 

After   some   amusing  negotiations  between  Mr. 


JARRETT  AS  "  EDGARDO."  131 

Gye  and  myself,  it  was  arranged  that  Mr.  Wood 
should  be  taken  into  the  concern  on  a  basis  of 
equal  shares.  Each,  that  is  to  say,  was  to  receive 
one-third  of  the  profits.  The  seceding  artists, 
whose  services  we  could  not  wish  to  lose — apart 
from  the  effect  they  might  have  in  creating  against 
us  a  formidable  opposition — had  all  signed  with  Mr. 
Wood ;  and  by  the  new  arrangement  these  vocalists 
(Christine  Nilsson,  Mongini,  lima  de  Murska, 
Trebelli,  Faure,  Santley,  etc.,  with  Arditi)  were  all 
to  form  part  of  the  Royal  Italian  Opera  Company. 
Our  profits  would  still  be  large,  though  both  Gye 
and  myself  would  have  to  cede  a  portion  of  our 
gains  to  the  new-comer. 

Mr.  Gye,  Mr.  Wood,  and  myself  were  all  seated 
round  a  table  in  Mr.  Gye's  private  room  at  Covent 
Garden  Theatre,  on  the  point  of  signing  the  contract 
which  was  to  bind  us  together  for  the  season  of 
1870,  when  suddenly  a  gentle  tap  at  the  door  was 
heard,  and,  like  "  Edgardo  "  in  the  contract  scene 
of  Lucia,  Jarrett  appeared.  He  had,  as  he  after- 
wards informed  me,  entirely  lost  sight  of  Mr.  Wood, 
who  was  supposed  to  be  out  of  town,  gone  abroad, 
anywhere  except  in  London ;  whence,  however,  he 
had  not  stirred.  Jarrett  had  not  traced  his  slippery 
partner  to  the  Royal  Italian  Opera.  He  assured 
me  that  having  no  indications  whatever  to  act  upon 
he  had  come  there  guided  simply  by  instinct.  He 
was  a  man  whose  instinct  seldom  misled  him. 

While  Mr.  Gye  and  myself  were  a  little  surprised 


132  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

at  the  sudden  apparition,  Mr.  Wood  was  lost  in 
confusion.  Jarrett  meanwhile  was  absolutely  calm. 
Standing  at  the  door,  he  took  a  pinch  of  snuff, 
and  for  a  few  moments  remained  silent.  Then, 
addressing  his  partner,  he  simply  said  :  "  Mr.  "Wood, 
can  I  have  a  minute's  conversation  with  you  out- 
side?" Mr.  "Wood  rose,  and  left  the  room,  but 
returned  in  less  than  a  minute,  when  Gye  whispered 
to  me :  "  It  is  all  right;  he  is  sure  to  sign.''  But 
when  he  was  asked  to  put  his  name  to  the  document 
which  only  awaited  his  signature  to  constitute  a 
perfect  contract  between  him,  Gye,  and  myself,  he 
hesitated,  spoke  of  the  necessity  in  which  he  found 
himself  of  first  consulting  his  friends,  and  finally 
did  not  sign. 

The  conversation  which  had  taken  place  outside 
the  room,  as  it  was  afterwards  repeated  to  me  by 
Jarrett,  was  short  and  simple. 

"  The  singers  you  have  engaged,"  said  Jarrett, 
"  are  under  contract  to  sing  at  Drury  Lane,  and 
nowhere  else.  If,  then,  you  join  Mapleson  and  Gye 
they  will  not  come  to  you  at  Covent  Garden,  and 
you  will  have  to  pay  their  salaries  whether  you  open 
at  Drury  Lane  or  not." 

"Wood  could  only  reply  that  he  would  not  sign 
with  Mapleson  and  Gye. 

There  was  no  money  made  that  season  at  the 
Royal  Italian  Opera ;  whilst  Mr.  Wood's  season  at 
Drury  Lane  was  simply  disastrous.  The  moneyed 
partner  soon  proposed  to  shut  up ;  but  Jarrett,  to 


WOOD  HAS  MUSIC  SHOPS.  138 

whom  Mr.  Wood  was  bound,  would  not   hear    of 
this. 

"  I  have  no  more  money,"  said  Wood. 

"  But  you  have  a  number  of  pianofortes,"  replied 
Jarrett.  "  You  have  music  shops  here  and  in  Scot- 
land whose  contents  and  goodwill  can  be  sold." 

"  You  wish  to  ruin  me  ?  "  asked  Wood. 

"  You  did  not  mind  ruining  me  in  1854," 
answered  Jarrett,  "  when  we  carried  on  Opera  to- 
gether and  you  left  me  to  bear  the  burden  of  your 
losses." 

It  is  bad  enough  for  a  manager  to  lose  money, 
hoping  night  after  night  that  by  some  new  and 
successful  stroke,  or  some  change  of  taste  on  the 
part  of  the  capricious  public,  the  tide  of  luck  may 
at  last  turn  in  his  favour.  But  Mr.  Wood  had  no 
such  sanguine  delusions  to  maintain  him  in  his 
adversity ;  his  losses  were  irretrievable.  They 
increased  as  the  season  went  on  without  any  chance 
of  being  even  arrested ;  and  in  the  end  anyone  but  a 
man  of  Mr.  Wood's  indomitable  energy  and  courage 
would  have  been  ruined  beyond  hope  of  recovery. 

During  the  Wood  season  at  Drury  Lane  many 
interesting  performances  were  given,  including 
Wagner's  Flying  Dutchman,  with  lima  de  Murskaas 
the  heroine  and  Santley  as  the  hero  ;  Mignon,  with 
Mdme.  Christine  Nilsson ;  also  Weber's  Abu  Hassan, 
each  for  the  first  time  in  England.  But  the  enter- 
prise could  not  stand  against  the  superior  attrac- 
tions of  the  Royal  Italian  Opera,  while  the  Royal 


134  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Italian  Opera,  on  its  side,  suffered  in  its  receipts 
from  the  counter  attraction  presented  by  Drury 
Lane. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  season,  war  having  been 
declared  between  France  and  Germany,  Mdme. 
Pauline  Lucca  became  anxious  about  her  husband, 
who  was  an  officer  in  a  Prussian  cavalry  regiment, 
and  now  under  campaigning  orders.  She  was 
anxious,  therefore,  to  see  him  before  his  departure 
with  the  army  moving  towards  the  French  frontier. 
Some  weeks  afterwards,  at  the  battle  of  Mars  la 
Tour,  a  portion  of  the  Prussian  cavalry  was  sacri- 
ficed in  order  to  hold  in  check  the  French,  who 
were  seeking  to  leave  Metz  in  order  to  march 
towards  Paris.  Mdme.  Lucca's  husband,  Baron 
von  Rhaden,  was  dangerously  wounded  in  the 
charge ;  and  the  Baroness  received  special  per- 
mission to  visit  him  in  the  field  hospital,  where 
he  was  lying,  outside  Metz.  Another  officer  of  the 
same  regiment,  also  wounded,  came  in  for  a  good 
share  of  her  attentions ;  and  afterwards,  being  at 
that  time  in  the  United  States,  she  applied  in  the 
New  York  Courts  for  a  divorce  from  Baron  von 
Rhaden  in  order  to  marry  Baron  von  Wallhofen, 
the  officer,  who — as  just  mentioned — had,  like  Von 
Rhaden,  been  severely  wounded  at  Mars  la  Tour. 
The  New  York  Tribunal  granted  the  divorce  on 
Mdme.  Lucca's  simple  affidavit ;  and  before  her 
husband  (No.  1)  had  had  time  to  reply  by  a 
counter  affidavit  from  Berlin  the  second  marriage 


PAULIJVE  LUCCA  HAS  HUSBANDS.  135 

had  been  celebrated.  Such  being  the  case  the 
decree  of  divorce,  so  hastily  pronounced,  could  iiot 
well  be  interfered  with.  So,  at  least,  said  the 
judges  to  whom  the  matter  was  referred;  and 
Mdme.  Pauline  Lucca  remained  as  she  is  now, 
Baroness  von  Wallhofen. 


CHAPTER  X. 

GYI'S  FRATERNAL  EMBRACE — LAW-SUITS  INTERMINABLE — 
DISSOLUTION  OP  PARTNERSHIP — RETURN  TO  DRURY 
LANE — ARRIVAL  OF  ALBANI — UE"BUT  ov  CAMPANINI — 
THE  ANNUAL  ONSLAUGHTS  OF  Mu.  GYE. 

I  SOON  found  that  Mr.  Gye,  on  the  principle  of 
embracing  pour  mieux  etrangler,  had  taken  me  into 
partnership  in  order  to  stifle  me  at  his  ease. 

In  the  early  part  of  June,  1869,  Mr.  Gye  suggested 
to  me  that  it  would  be  very  desirable  to  renew  my 
lease  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre  in  order  to  get 
rid  of  a  provision  in  the  existing  one,  under  which 
the  Earl  of  Dudley  had  the  power  to  determine  it  in 
the  month  of  February  in  any  year.  Gye  expressed 
his  intention  of  seeing  the  Earl  of  Dudley  on  the 
subject,  and  at  this  interview  it  was  agreed  that 
the  Earl  should  grant  a  new  lease  for  seven, 
fourteen,  or  twenty-one  years,  Mr.  Gye  requesting 
that  it  should  be  granted  either  to  himself  alone  or 
to  Gye  and  Mapleson  conjointly.  The  Earl  decided 
the  latter  to  be  more  desirable,  requesting  that  the 


LAW-SUITS  INTERMINABLE.  137 

new  lease  should  be  signed  on  or  before  the  1st 
September.  In  due  course  we  were  informed  that 
the  lease  was  ready  for  signature. 

As  the  duration  of  my  partnership  with  Mr. 
Gye  was  only  for  three  years  (one  of  which 
had  already  nearly  expired),  I  naturally  desired  to 
know  what  my  position  would  be  at  the  expira- 
tion of  the  partnership  if  we.  were  joint  managers 
of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre  for  twenty-one  years  ;  as 
it  appeared  to  me  that  it  would  leave  him  in  com- 
mand of  a  monopoly  at  the  Royal  Italian  Opera, 
whilst  I  on  my  side,  unable  to  perform  Opera  at  Her 
Majesty's  Theatre,  would  be  called  upon  to  pay  half 
the  rent  of  the  building,  which  meantime  would 
remain  closed.  I,  therefore,  took  the  precaution, 
when  the  day  arrived  for  approving  the  draft  lease, 
to  append  the  following  words  : — "  I  arn  willing  to 
execute  the  enclosed  lease  in  conjunction  with  Mr. 
Gye  upon  the  understanding  as  between  him  and 
me  that  our  acceptance  of  the  lease  is  not  to  affect 
in  any  way  our  relative  rights  under  the  articles  of 
partnership.  We  shall  respectively  have  the  same 
rights  under  the  proposed  new  lease  as  we  now 
have  or  are  subject  to  in  respect  of  the  subsisting 
lease  under  the  articles  of  partnership,  and  on 
determination  of  our  partnership  this  lease  shall  be 
exclusively  vested  in  me  for  the  residue  of  the  term, 
I  indemnifying  Mr.  Gye  and  his  estate  against  any 
future  liability  for  rent  and  covenants,  or  obtaining 
his  release  from  the  same." 


138  TUB  UAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

This  gave  great  umbrage  to  Mr.  Gye,  who  there- 
upon refused  to  affix  his  signature  to  the  lease. 

In  the  meantime,  the  1st  of  September  (the  date 
stipulated  by  the  Earl  for  signature)  having  passed, 
Mr.  Gye  contended  that  by  attaching  a  condition  to 
my  signing  of  the  lease  I  had  not  accepted  the  lease 
at  all.  Besides,  therefore,  refusing  to  sign  the  joint 
lease,  he  insisted  upon  having  a  lease  of  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre  for  himself  alone.  A  deal  of  correspondence 
and  trouble  took  place  about  this  time,  which  I  will 
not  weary  the  reader  with,  and  hundreds  of  letters 
passed  between  us  and  our  solicitors.  It  was 
threatened,  in  short,  that  the  lease  would  be  granted 
by  the  Earl  of  Dudley  to  Mr.  Gye  alone,  to  my  exclu- 
sion. I  was,  therefore,  compelled  in  my  own  defence 
to  file  a  bill  in  Chancery,  making  Mr.  Gye  and  the 
Earl  of  Dudley  defendants,  to  restrain  them  from 
carrying  out  their  plan. 

I  ultimately,  however,  terminated  our  joint  rela- 
tions with  more  haste  than  I  perhaps  should  have 
shown  in  consequence  of  the  abject  despondency, 
together  with  absolute  physical  prostration,  into 
which  Mr.  Gye  had  been  thrown  through  the  turn 
lately  taken  by  operatic  affairs.  As  he  lay  exhausted 
on  the  sofa  there  seemed,  indeed,  but  little  chance 
of  his  ever  rising  again  to  take  part  in  the  active 
business  of  life.  He  could  scarcely  speak.  He  was 
pale,  agitated,  and  such  was  his  feverish  condition 
that  it  was  necessary  from  time  to  time  to  apply 
wet  bandages  to  his  forehead.  In  his  state  of  exhaus- 


DISSOLUTION  OF  PARTNERSHIP.  189 

tion,  combined  with  a  certain  nervous  irritability,  it 
seemed  cruel  to  delay  the  signature  he  so  much 
desired ;  and  the  effect  of  my  putting  pen  to  paper 
was,  indeed,  to  cause  him  instantaneous  relief.  Never 
before  did  I  see  such  a  change.  His  despondency 
left  him.  He  rose  from  the  sofa,  walked  about  with 
an  elastic  step,  a  cheerful  air,  and  had  he  been  any- 
thing of  a  vocalist  would,  I  feel  sure,  have  sung. 

By  the  terms  now  agreed  to  between  Mr.  Gye 
and  myself  I  was  freed  from  all  outstanding  claims 
upon  the  theatre,  and  received  a  payment  in  money. 
I  at  the  same  time  agreed  to  withdraw  the  Chancery 
proceedings  against  Dudley  and  Gye. 

Immediately  afterwards  I  set  about  forming  a 
Company  for  my  provincial  operatic  tour  of  1870; 
also  renting  Covent  Garden  from  Mr.  Gye  for  the 
autumn,  as  I  found  it  impossible  to  obtain  Her 
Majesty's,  being  informed  by  Lord  Dudley's  solici- 
tors that  it  had  been  let  to  Mr.  Gye.  The  ensuing 
spring  I  returned  to  my  old  quarters  at  Drury 
Lane,  my  first  act  being  to  secure  the  services 
of  Sir  Michael  Costa,  who  forthwith  began  form- 
ing his  orchestra,  whilst  I  went  to  the  Continent 
in  quest  of  vocal  talent.  I  will  not  trouble  the 
reader  about  my  provincial  opera  tour,  which,  as 
usual,  was  very  successful  indeed;  nor  with  my 
spring  concert  tour  of  1871,  with  Titiens,  Trebelli, 
Santley,  Foli,  and  other  eminent  artists. 

I  opened  my  London  season  of  1871  under  brilliant 
auspices,  the  Prince  of  Wales  having  taken  a  box 


140  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

as  well  as  all  the  leading  supporters  from  the  old 
house.  About  this  time  I  secured  the  services 
of  Mdlle.  Marimon,  who  drew  enormous  receipts, 
but  unfortunately  fell  sick  after  the  third  night. 
It  was  only  on  rare  intervals  that  she  appeared  again 
during  the  season.  I,  however,  got  safely  through ; 
producing  several  standard  works,  under  the  able 
direction  of  Sir  Michael  Costa,  in  addition  to  a 
revival  of  Robert  the  Devil,  also  Semiramide,  with 
Titiens  and  Trebelli,  who  in  this  work  always  drew 
crowded  houses.  I  also  produced  Anna  Boleua.  The 
season  finished  up  satisfactorily,  and  I  was  glad  to 
get  a  fortnight's  well-earned  rest  prior  to  my  autumn 
tour  of  opera,  which  was  pre-eminently  successful. 
I  returned  to  London  to  take  up  my  autumn  season 
afterwards  at  the  Royal  Italian  Opera,  Covent  Gar- 
den, which  terminated  early  in  December,  after 
which  I  gave  a  few  concluding  operatic  performances 
at  Brighton. 

Early  the  following  year  I  again  started  on  my 
spring  concert  tour;  during  which  I  gave  48 
concerts  in  48  cities  in  48  days,  followed  by  a 
spring  opera  season  at  Edinburgh. 

I  have  omitted  to  state  that  prior  to  the  opening  of 
my  successful  Drury  Lane  season  of  1871,  the  Earl 
of  Dudley  became  the  plaintiff  and  Mr.  Gye  the 
defendant  with  regard  to  Her  Majesty's  Theatre. 
Finding  I  was  at  Drury  Lane,  and  in  open  opposi- 
tion to  the  Royal  Italian  Opera,  Mr.  Gye  did  not 
seem  to  think  it  desirable  that  he  should  execute 


ORIGIN  OF  £200  A  NIGHT.  141 

the  lease;  whereupon  Lord  Dudley  took  proceedings 
against  Gye  for  £7,500,  as  arrears  of  rent  for  Her 
Majesty's  Theatre. 

About  this  time  Jarrett,  in  reply  to  my  constant 
applications,  informed  me  that  Mdlle.  Nilsson  was 
about  to  be  married,  and,  in  fact,  that  her  future 
husband  had  already  arrived  in  America,  but  that 
he,  Jarrett,  had  succeeded  in  inducing  her  to  give 
four  performances  the  next  ceason  prior  to  the 
marriage,  which  was  to  be  postponed  until  the 
following  year.  He  explained  in  his  letter  that  as 
her  performances  were  to  be  limited  to  four  I  was 
riot  to  complain  of  the  only  terms  he  could  get  the 
lady  to  assent  to ;  namely,  £200  for  each  repre- 
sentation. He  explained  that  £800  would  be  the 
total  sum;  "and  what,"  he  asked,  "is  that  where 
thousands  are  concerned,  in  addition  to  the  prestige 
it  will  give  to  your  house,  as  well  as  the  influence  on 
the  subscription  list  ?  "  I  thereupon  authorized  him 
to  close  the  matter  for  the  season  of  1872. 

About  this  time  my  attention  was  drawn  by  my 
friend  Ziraelli,  the  manager  of  the  theatre  at  Malta, 
to  a  most  charming  young  soprano,  who  he  assured 
me  was  destined  to  take  a  very  high  rank;  and 
about  the  same  time  I  received  a  letter  from  a 
regular  subscriber  to  the  house,  a  distinguished 
officer,  pointing  out  the  excellence  of  this  young 
lady.  I  at  once  opened  negotiations  which  ulti- 
mately led  to  favourable  results.  Colonel  McCray, 
I  may  add,  had  written,  to  me  from  Florence  on  the 


142  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

same  subject.  The  name  of  the  young  singer  was 
Emma  Albani;  and  having,  aa  I  thought,  secured 
her  services — positively  promised  in  a  letter  written 
to  me  by  the  lady — I  found  myself  deprived  of  them 
by  Mr.  Gye;  who  I  find,  now  that  I  look  back  on  the 
past,  paid  me  an  attention  of  this  kind — sometimes 
greater,  sometimes  less  — regularly  every  year. 

On  her  arrival  Mdlle.  Albani  was  to  sign  the 
contract ;  and  as  soon  as  she  got  to  London  she, 
with  perfect  good  faith,  drove  to  what  she  be- 
lieved to  be  my  theatre.  She  had  told  the  cab- 
man -to  take  her  to  the  manager's  office  at  the 
Italian  Opera.  She  was  conveyed  to  the  Royal 
Italian  Opera,  and,  sending  in  her  card  to  Mr. 
Gye,  who  had  doubtless  heard  of  her,  was  at 
once  received.  On  Mdlle.  Albani's  saying  that 
she  had  come  to  sign  the  contract  which  I  had 
offered  her,  Mr.  Gye,  knowing  that  I  never  made 
engagements  but  with  artists  of  merit,  gave  her  at 
once  the  agreement  she  desired. 

To  do  Mr.  Gye  justice  I  must  here  mention  that 
after  the  contract  had  been  signed  he,  in  the  frankest 
manner,  avowed  to  Mdlle.  Albani  that  he  was  not 
Mr.  Mapleson,  for  whom  she  had  hitherto  mistaken 
him.  He  explained  to  her  that  there  was  a  manager 
named  Mapleson  who  rented  an  establishment  some- 
where round  the  corner  where  operas  and  other 
things  were  from  time  to  time  played ;  but  the 
opera,  the  permanent  institution  known  as  such, 
was  the  one  he  had  the  honour  of  directing.  If,  he 


ARRIVAL  OF  ALBANI.  143 

concluded,  Mdlle.  Albani  was  sorry  to  have  dealt 
with  him  she  might  still  consider  herself  free,  and 
he  would  at  once  tear  up  the  contract. 

Mdlle.  Albani,  however,  was  so  impressed  by  the 
emphatic  manner  in  which  Mr.  Gye  dwelt  on 
the  superiority  of  his  theatre  to  mine  that  she 
declared  herself  satisfied,  and  kept  to  the  contract 
she  had  signed.  Colonel  McCray  called  on  me 
soon  afterwards  to  beg  that  out  of  considera- 
tion for  the  lady  I  would  give  up  the  letter  in 
which  she  declared  herself  ready  to  sign  with 
me.  I  assured  him  that  I  had  no  intention  of 
making  any  legal  use  of  it,  but  that  I  should  like  to 
keep  it  as  a  souvenir  of  the  charming  vocalist  who 
had  at  one  time  shown  herself  willing  to  be  intro- 
duced to  the  London  public  under  my  auspices. 

Why,  it  may  be  asked,  as  a  simple  matter  of  busi- 
ness— indeed,  as  an  act  of  justice  to  myself — did  1 
not  take  proceedings  for  an  enforcement  of  the 
agreement  which  Mdlle.  Albani  had  virtually  con- 
tracted? I,  of  course,  considered  the  advisability 
of  doing  so,  and  one  reason  for  which  I  took  no  steps 
in  the  matter  was  that  Titiens,  Nilsson,  Murska,  and 
Marimon  were  members  of  my  Company,  and  that 
even  if  Mdlle.  Albani  had  come  to  me  I  should 
have  found  it  difficult  to  furnish  her  with  appro- 
priate parts. 

The  young  lady  duly  appeared  at  Covent  Garden 
about  the  beginning  of  April  in  La  Sonnambula, 
and  at  once  achieved  a  remarkable  success,  which 


144  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

caused  mo  very  much  to  regret  the  loss  of  her.  She 
afterwards  appeared  as  "Elsa"  in  Lohengrin  in  an 
Italian  version,  which  had  been  made  for  me  by 
Signor  Marches!,  husband  of  the  well-known  teacher 
of  operatic  singing,  and  himself  an  accomplished 
musician. 

I  had  ordered  from  Signor  Marchesi  as  long 
before  as  1864  an  Italian  verson  of  Tannhduser  t 
which  I  duly  announced  in  my  prospectus  for  that 
year,  but  which  I  was  dissuaded  by  some  critical 
friends,  who  did  not  believe  in  "Wagner,  from  present- 
ing to  the  public.  I  had  been  advised,  and  there  was 
certainly  reason  in  the  advice,  that  if  I  had  quite 
decided  to  run  such  a  risk  as  would  be  necessarily  in- 
curred through  the  production  of  an  opera  by  Wagner 
(whose  Tannhduser  had  three  years  previously 
been  hissed  and  hooted  from  the  stage  of  the  Paris 
Opera-house)  I  should  at  least  begin  with  his  most 
interesting  and  most  attractive  work,  the  poetical 
Lohengrin.  Accordingly,  reserving  Tannhduser  for 
a  future  occasion,  I  determined  to  begin  my 
Wagnerian  operations  with  the  beautiful  legend  of 
Elsa  and  the  Knight  of  the  Swan ;  and  I  commis- 
sioned Signor  Marchesi  to  execute  such  a  version 
of  Lohengrin  as  he  had  previously  given  me  of 
Tannhduser — a  version,  that  is  to  say,  in  which, 
without  any  departure  from  the  meaning  of  the 
words  or  from  the  forms  of  the  original  versifica- 
tion, the  musical  accents  should  be  uniformly 
observed. 


GYPS  AX N UAL  ONSLAUGHTS.  146 

But  in  England  the  laws  relating  to  dramatic 
property  seem  to  have  been  made  for  the  advan- 
tage only  of  pirates  and  smugglers.  I  had  printed 
the  Italian  translation  of  Lohengrin  which  Signer 
Marchesi  had  executed  for  me,  and  for  which  I  had 
paid  him  the  sum  of  £150.  But  I  had  not  secured 
rights  of  representation  in  the  work  by  going 
through  the  necessary  farce  of  a  mock  performance 
before  a  sham  public ;  and  anyone,  therefore,  was 
at  liberty  to  perform  a  translation  which  in  any 
country  but  England  would  have  been  regarded  as 
my  property.  How  Signer  Marchesi's  translation 
of  Lohengrin  got  into  Mr.  Gye's  hands  I  do  not 
know.  But  the  version  prepared  for  me  at  my 
cost  was  the  one  which  Mr.  Gye  produced,  and 
which  somehow  found  its  way  to  all  the  Italian 
theatres. 

It  has  amused  me  in  glancing  through  the  history 
of  my  operatic  seasons  since  1861  to  see  how  per- 
sistently Mr.  Gye  endeavoured  by  some  stroke — let 
us  say  of  policy — to  bring  my  career  as  operatic 
manager  to  an  abrupt  end. 

In  1861,  when  at  Adelina  Patti's  own  suggestion 
I  was  engaging  a  Company  and  taking  a  theatre 
with  a  view  to  her  first  appearance  in  England, 
he  entangled  her  in  an  engagement  by  means  of  a 
fifty-pound  loan. 

In  1862,  just  when  I  was  on  the  point  of  opening 
Her  Majesty's  Theatre,  the  late  Mr.  Augustus 
Harris,  Mr.  Gye's  stage  manager  and  adviser  on 

VOL.  I.  L 


146  TEE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

many  points,  approached   Mdlle.   Titiens   with   an 
offer  of  a  blank  engagement. 

In  1863  Mr.  Gye's  insidious  but  unsuccessful 
advances  towards  Mdlle.  Titiens  were  repeated. 

In  1864  Mr.  Gye  having,  as  he  pretended,  bought 
exclusive  rights  in  Faust  over  my  head,  tried  by 
means  of  an  injunction,  impossible  under  the  cir- 
cumstances (since  the  right  of  representing  Faust  at 
my  own  theatre  had  been  duly  purchased  by  me 
from  the  Paris  publishers),  to  prevent  me  from  per- 
forming the  most  successful  opera  I  had  yet  secured. 

In  1865  Mr.  Gye  did  not  renew  his  annual  attack 
until  my  season  was  almost  at  an  end.  But  on  the 
last  night,  or  nearly  so,  just  when  I  had  been 
promising  good  things  for  the  ensuing  season,  he 
attempted  to  spring  a  mine  upon  me  in  my  own 
house.  I  was  sitting  calmly  in  my  box  watching  a 
particularly  good  performance  of  Famt,  with  Titiens, 
Trebelli,  Gardoni,  Junca,  and  Santley  in  the  principal 
parts,  when  the  old  Duke  of  Leinster  came  in  and 
said  — 

"  Look  here,  Mapleson ;  what  is  the  meaning  of 
this?" 

He  handed  me  a  printed  announcement  which  I 
found  had  been  placed  in  every  seat  in  my  theatre, 
and  which  I  here  reproduce  with  all  possible  pre- 
cision, not  excepting  the  typographical  peculiarities 
by  which  the  name  of  the  "  Righb  Hon.  the  Earl  of 
Dudley "  is  made  to  appear  in  large  capitals,  and 
that  of  Mr.  Gye  in  larger  capitals  still.  Here  is  the 


EXPLOSION  AT  HER  MAJESTY'S  THEATRE.    147 

astonishing  document  which  if,  on  reflection,  it  filled 
me  with  mirth,  did  also,  I  freely  admit,  cause  me  for 
a  few  moments  considerable  surprise  : — 

Mr.  GYE  has  the  honour  to  announce  that  he  has  transferred 
the  proprietorship  of  THE  ROYAL  ITALIAN  OPERA,  COVEXT 
GARDEN,  to  a  Public  Company. 

Mr.  GYE  will  occupy  the  position  of  General  Manager. 

The  Company  has  now  made  arrangements  for  purchasing  of 
THE  RIGHT  HON.  THE  EARL  OF  DUDLEY  his  Lordship's  interest 
in  HER  MAJESTY'S  THEATRE,  HAYMARKET. 

The  Prospectus  of  the  Company  will  be  issued  in  a  few  days. 

ROYAL   ITALIAN   OPERA, 

CO VENT     GARDEN, 

JULY  29TH,  1865. 

On  inquiry  I  found  that,  an  emissary  from  Covent 
Garden  had  bribed  one  of  my  box  keepers,  who,  for 
the  small  sum  of  one  sovereign,  had  betrayed  his 
trust,  and  deluged  my  theatre  with  daring  and  men- 
dacious announcements  from  the  opposition  house. 

In  1866  Mr.  Gye  tried  to  carry  out  the  arrange- 
ment with  which  he  had  audaciously  threatened  me 
in  my  own  theatre  just  as  the  season  of  1865  was 
terminating.  I  happened  to  hold  a  twenty-one  years' 
lease  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre;  and  to  purchase 
Lord  Dudley's  interest  in  the  establishment  was  a 
very  different  thing  from  purchasing  mine.  But 
what  at  once  put  a  stop  to  Mr.  Gye's  action  in  the 
matter  was  an  injunction  obtained  by  Colonel  Brown- 
low  Knox  to  restrain  Mr.  Gye  from  dealing  with  the 
Royal  Italian  Opera  as  his  property  until  the  seem- 
ingly interminable  case  of  Knox  v.  Gye  had  been 
decided. 


1  ',•>  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

In  1867  Mr.  Gye  may  have  been  nurturing  I  know- 
not  what  deadly  scheme  against  my  theatre.  But 
this  year  a  fatal  accident  came  to  his  aid,  and  he  was 
spared  the  trouble  of  executing  any  hostile  design. 
It  was  in  1867  that  Her  Majesty's  Theatre  was 
destroyed  by  fire. 

In  1868  came  the  proposition  for  partnership.  Mr. 
Gye  wished  to  grapple  with  me  at  closer  quarters. 

In  1869  Mr.  Gye  was  intriguing  with  Lord  Dudley 
to  get  Her  Majesty's  Theatre  into  his  hands. 

In  1870  Mr.  Gye  made  his  droll  proposal  to  the 
effect  that  I  should  go  equal  shares  with  him  in 
paying  the  rent  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre,  I  binding 
myself  not  to  open  it. 

In  1872  Mr.  Gye  engaged  Mdlle.  Albani,  already 
under  contract  to  me,  and  helped  himself  to  my 
version  of  Lohengrin. 

In  1873  he  offered  an  engagement  to  one  of  my 
two  leading  stars,  Mdlle.  Nilsson ;  and  I  had  myself 
to  write  explaining  to  him  very  clearly  that  she  was 
engaged  to  me. 

For  two  whole  years  Mr.  Gye  remained  quiet  as 
towards  me.  But  in  1876,  when  I  was  on  the  point 
of  completing  the  capital  necessary  for  carrying  out 
my  grand  National  Opera  project  on  the  Thames 
Embankment,  he  wrote  a  letter  which  somehow 
found  its  way  into  the  Times,  denouncing  the 
whole  affair,  and  proving  by  an  extraordinary  mani- 
pulation of  figures  that  my  rent  would  be  something 
like  £40,000  a  year. 


INNOCENCE  OF  A  TENOR.  149 

In  1877  Mr.  Gye,  knowing  that  I  had  engaged 
Gayarre",  and  well  assured  that  I  should  not  have 
done  so  had  not  Gayarre  been  a  good  artist,  offered 
him  double  what  I  was  to  pay  him.  Gayarrd,  with 
all  the  innocence  of  a  tenor,  explained  -to  me  that 
the  temptation  presented  to  him  was  irresistible.  I 
brought  an  action  against  him  all  the  same,  and  ob- 
tained in  the  Italian  Courts  a  judgment  for  £8,000, 
which  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  enforce  by  reason 
of  his  having  no  property  in  Italy. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

ADELIKA'S  SUCCESSOR  —  A  PRIMA  DONNA'S  MARRIAGE 
NEGOTIATIONS — POUNDS  v.  GUINEAS — NILRBON  AND  THE 
SHAH — PRODUCTION  OP  "LOHENGRIN"  —  SALVINI'S 
PERFORMANCES  AND  PROFITS — MARGUERITE  CHAPUY — 
IRONY  OF  AN  EARL. 

HAVING  relied  upon  Mdme.  Nilsson's  services  for 
my  Drury  Lane  season  of  1871,  I  felt  in  a  position 
of  great  difficulty.  I  thereupon  set  about  inquiring 
for  a  capable  prima  donna  to  supply  her  place. 
About  two  days  afterwards  I  received  a  letter  from 

w 

America  informing  me  of  a  most  extraordinary 
singer,  the  writer  further  setting  forth  that  his 
father  had,  some  twenty  years  previously,  recom- 
mended me  Adelina  Patti,  and  that  he  could  equally 
endorse  all  that  was  now  said  of  this  coming  star. 
Without  one  moment's  hesitation  I  accepted,  feeling 
sure  the  "  tip "  must  be  a  good  one,  and  in  due 
course  the  lady  arrived.  She  was  of  short  stature 
and  remarkably  stout,  which  I  considered  at  once  a 
drawback ;  but  so  unbounded  was  my  confidence  in 
the  recommendation  that  I  persuaded  myself  these 


ADELINES  SUCCESSOR.  151 

defects  would  be  of  no  consequence  whatever  in  the 
general  result. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  first  rehearsal  Sir  Michael 
Costa  came  down  in 'a  most  mysterious  way,  asking 
me  if  I  was  sure  as  to  the  prima  donna's  talents.  I 
told  him  he  need  be  under  no  apprehension  what- 
ever on  the  subject. 

At  length  the  general  rehearsal  arrived,  and  a 
message  came  from  Sir  Michael,  begging  me  to 
ask  the  little  lady  to  sing  out,  as  up  to  the  present 
time  nobody  had  heard  her  voice  at  any  of  the 
rehearsals.  I  came  on  to  the  stage,  but  as  our  new 
Dica  was  conducting  herself  with  great  import- 
ance, and  moreover  seemed  to  be  busy  with  the  pre- 
paration of  her  music,  I  told  Sir  Michael  that  he 
need  labour  under  no  misapprehension,  as  she  was 
guaranteed  to  take  the  town  by  storm. 

Evening  came,  and  a  more  dismal  fiasco  I  do  not 
recollect.  Such  unbounded  faith  had  I  placed  in 
my  American  friend's  recommendation,  together 
with  the  laudatory  notices  which  had  appeared  in 
the  numerous  journals  he  had  sent,  that  I  confess  I 
was  on  this  occasion  taken  in. 

This  is  the  only  instance  in  the  course  of  my 
lengthened  career  in  which  an  artist  introduced  by 
me  has  not  been  forthwith  accepted  by  the  public, 
and  I  admit  that  the  result  in  this  particular  case 
was  entirely  due  to  my  own  neglect  in  not  hearing 
her  beforehand. 

It  was  rather  hard  lines  on  the  "  Faust "  of  the 


152  TEE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

evening,  M.  Capoul,  who  made  his  first  appearance 
in  England  on  this  occasion ;  likewise  on  Moriami, 
the  favourite  baritone,  and  Rives,  a  young  French 
artist,  who  sustained  the  r6le  of  '*  Mephistopheles  " 
with  great  credit. 

The  following  evening  I  produced  Robert  le  Dialle, 
in  which  Signor  Nicolini  made  his  first  appearance 
in  England,  enacting  the  role  of  "Roberto"  to  per- 
fection. Belval,  the  first  bass  of  the  Paris  opera, 
was  the  "  Bertramo,"  Mdme.  lima  de  Murska  the 
"  Isabella,"  and  Titiens  the  "  Alice."  In  the  excel- 
lence of  this  performance  my  "  Margherita  "  of  the 
previous  evening  was  soon  forgotten,  and  I  booked 
her  an  early  passage  back  to  America,  where,  strange 
to  say,  she  still  retained  a  first-class  position,  and 
did  so  for  many  years  afterwards. 

As  matters  were  still  unsettled  between  Lord 
Dudley  and  his  would-be  tenant,  Gye,  I  again 
secured  Drury  Lane  for  my  season  of  1872.  Prior 
to  concluding  Mdlle.  Nilsson's  engagement,  as  she 
was  still  unmarried,  her  Paris  agent,  who  advised 
her,  called  upon  me,  stating  that  in  the  event  of  my 
requiring  her  services  I  had  better  notify  to  him 
that  the  marriage  must  be  postponed  until  the 
close  of  my  proposed  opera  season.  To  this  I  con- 
sented, and  I  attended  at  a  meeting  where  I  met 
the  future  husband  and  the  agent»  when  it  was  ex- 
plained to  the  former  that  Mdlle.  Nilsson  was  ready 
and  willing  to  perform  her  agreement  to  marry  him, 
but  that  in  that  case  she  would  lose  her  London 


GUINEAS  VERSUS  POUNDS.  153 

engagement,  and  would  be  very  angry ;  whereupon 
it  was  agreed  the  marriage  should  be  further  post- 
poned. Papers  were  drawn  up,  and  the  proper 
stamps  affixed,  whereby  Mdlle.  Nilsson  was  to  return 
to  me  for  my  season  of  1S72. 

On  the  28th  May  she  made  her  reappearance, 
after  an  absence  of  two  years,  renewing  her 
success  as  "  La  Traviata,"  followed  by  Faust,  Trova- 
tore,  etc. 

During  this  season  I  produced  Cherubini's  Water- 
carrier,  in  which  Titiens  sang ;  also  Lucia  di  Lam- 
mermour,  with  Nilsson  for  the  first  time  as  the 
heroine,  which  drew  enormous  houses  ;  followed  by 
the  Marriage  of  Figaro,  in  which  Titiens  and  Kellogg 
appeared,  Nilsson  acting  the  "saucy  page"  to  per- 
fection. A  most  successful  season  was  the  result, 
and  in  lieu  of  appearing  only  four  times  Mdlle. 
Nilsson  sang  never  less  than  twice  a  week  until  the 
close.  The  terms  I  was  paying  her  caused  a  deal  of 
trouble  between  Patti  and  Grye;  for  la  Diva  had  heard 
of  Nilsson's  enormous  salary.  Gye  had  ultimately  to 
give  in  ;  but  £200  a  night  would  not  satisfy  Mdme. 
Patti,  although  previously  she  had  been  contented 
with  £80 ;  and  it  was  ultimately  arranged  that  she 
should  have  more  than  Nilssou.  Gye  managed  this 
by  paying  her  200  guineas  nightly^  whilst  Nilsson 
had  only  200  pounds. 

Some  two  or  three  weeks  after  the  opening  of  the 
season  I  heard  of  a  desirable  tenor  in  Italy,  named 
Campanini,  and  at  once  endeavoured  to  add  him  to 


154  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

my  already  strong  Company.  My  agent  reached 
Rome  before  Mr.  Gye,  and  secured  the  prize.  I 
thereupon  set  to  work  to  create  all  the  excitement  I 
possibly  could,  knowing  that  unless  this  were  done  no 
curiosity  would  be  felt  by  the  public  as  to  his  first 
appearance.  I  said  so  much  of  him  that  general 
expectation  was  fully  aroused.  In  the  meantime 
I  was  anxiously  awaiting  his  arrival.  One  even- 
ing, about  nine  o'clock,  the  hall-keeper  brought  me 
word  that  there  was  someone  "  from  Campini,  or 
some  such  name."  I  immediately  brightened  up, 
and  said, "  Send  the  messenger  in,"  who  accordingly 
entered.  He  had  a  coloured  flannel  shirt  on,  no 
shirt  collar,  a  beard  of  two  or  three  days'  growth,  and 
a  little  pot-hat.  He,  in  fact,  looked  rather  a  rough 
customer.  In  reply  to  my  interrogation  he  in- 
formed me  that  Campanini  had  arrived,  and1  was  in 
London.  I  replied,  "Are  you  sure?  "  Thereupon 
he  burst  out  laughing,  and  said  that  he  was  Campa- 
nini. I  felt  as  if  I  should  go  through  the  floor. 

However,  the  night  arrived  for  his  first  performance, 
which  took  place  on  May  4th,  when  he  appeared 
as  "  Gennaro  "  in  Lucrezia  Borgia,  with  Titiens  and 
Trebelli,  and  with  Agnesi  as  the  "Duke."  The 
house  was  crowded  from  floor  to  ceiling,  and 
I  'must  say  the  tenor  fulfilled  every  anticipation, 
and,  in  fact,  surpassed  my  expectations.  The 
salary  I  paid  him  was  not  a  large  one,  and  I 
had  engaged  him  for  five  years.  After  ten  or 
twelve  days  an  agent  arrived  from  America  who 


CHRISTINE  NILSSON'S  MARRIAGE.  155 

had  heard  of  his  success,  and  offered  him  £1,000  a 
month,  which  was  five  times  what  I  was  to  pay 
him.  I  need  hardly  say  that  this  offer,  coupled 
with  his  great  success,  completely  turned  his  head, 
and  he  became  partially  unmanageable.  Marie  Roze, 
I  may  add,  made  her  first  appearance  in  England 
during  this  season. 

At  its  close  Mdlle.  Christine  Nilsson  was  married 
to  M.  Rouzaud  at  Westminster  Abbey,  surrounded 
by  a  numerous  circle  of  friends,  the  ceremony  being 
performed  by  Dean  Stanley.  The  wedding  party 
were  afterwards  entertained  -by  the  Cavendish 
Bentincks  at  their  splendid  mansion  in  Grafton 
Street,  where  a  sumptuous  dtjeuner  was  served. 

After  two  or  three  weeks'  holiday  at  Aix-les- 
Bains,  I  started  my  autumn  tour,  as  usual,  at 
Dublin,  for  which  I  engaged  Titiens,  Marimon, 
de  Murska,  Trebelli,  Scalchi,  Agnesi,  Campanini, 
Fancelli,  Foli,  etc.  This  season  of  fourteen 
weeks,  which  carried  us  up  to  Christmas,  was 
an  unbroken  series  of  triumphs,  the  receipts 
being  simply  enormous ;  whilst  on  the  spare  days 
when  certain  of  my  singers  were  not  required 
I  filled  in  sometimes  as  much  as  £1,000  a  week 
from  concerts,  without  the  regular  service  of  the 
tour  being  disturbed.  "We  visited  Dublin,  Cork, 
Belfast,  Glasgow,  Edinburgh,  Manchester,  Liver- 
poolj  Birmingham,  Bristol,  and  Brighton.  This 
was  followed  by  the  usual  spring  concert  tour 
of  1873,  when,  we  did,  as  usual,  our  60  or  70 


156  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

towns,  concluding  with  a  spring  opera  tour  in  the 
north. 

For  my  season  of  1873,  which  again  took  place  at 
Drury  Lane — Her  Majesty's  Theatre,  although  built, 
being  still  without  furniture  or  scenery — I  re- 
engaged Mdme.  Nilsson,  paying  her  £200  per  night, 
in  addition  to  my  regular  company,  which,  of  course, 
included  Titiens ;  also  lima  de  Murska,  Marie  Roze, 
Trebelli,  etc.,  etc.  I,  moreover,  introduced  Mdlle. 
Valleria,  Mdlle.  Macvitz,  an  excellent  contralto ; 
Aramburo,  a  tenor  possessing  a  marvellous  voice, 
who  has  since  achieved  European  fame ;  Signor 
Del  Puente,  the  eminent  baritone,  and  many 
others. 

I  likewise  engaged  Mdme.  Ristori,  who  appeared 
in  several  of  her  favourite  characters  alternately 
with  the  operatic  performances.  Her  success  was 
striking,  notably  in  the  parts  of  "  Medea,"  "  Mary 
Stuart,"  "  Elizabeth,"  and  "  Marie  Antoinette." 
In  the  latter  impersonation  she  moved  the  audience 
to  tears  nightly  by  her  pathetic  acting. 

During  this  season,  early  in  the  month  of  July,  it 
was  intimated  to  me  that  His  Majesty  the  Shah 
of  Persia  would  honour  the  theatre  with  his 
presence.  I  thereupon  set  about  organizing  a 
performance  that  would  give  satisfaction  both 
to  my  principal  artists  and  to  the  Lord  Chamber- 
lain, who  had  charge  of  the  arrangements, 
and  decided  that  the  performance  should  consist 
of  the  third  act  of  La  Favorita,  Mdlle.  Titiens 


VISIT  OF  THE  SHAH.  157 

enacting  the  role  of  "  Leonora,"  the  first  act 
of  La  Traviata,  and,  after  a  short  ballet,  the 
first  act  of  Mignon,  Mdme.  Nilsson  taking  the 
title  role  in  the  two  latter  operas.  Mdlle.  Titiens, 
who  rarely  created  difficulties,  took  rather  an 
exception  to  commencing  the  evening,  and  said 
that  it  would  be  better  to  divide  the  two  appear- 
ances of  Nilsson  by  placing  the  act  of  La  Favorita 
between  them;  Mdme.  Nilsson,  on  the  other  hand, 
objected  to  this  arrangement.  Two  days  before  the 
performance  Mdme.  Nilsson  suddenly  expressed  her 
willingness  to  commence  the  evening  with  the  act 
of  La  Traviata,  she  having  ascertained  from  the 
Lord  Chamberlain,  or  some  other  high  personage 
(as  I  afterwards  discovered),  that  His  Majesty  the 
Shah  could  only  he  present  from  half-past  eight 
until  half-past  nine,  being  due  at  the  grand  ball 
given  by  the  Goldsmiths  in  the  City  at  about  ten 
o'clock. 

Mdme.  Nilsson  had  ordered,  at  considerable 
expense,  one  of  the  most  sumptuous  dresses  I 
have  ever  seen,  from  Worth,  in  Paris,  in  order  to 
portray  "  Yioletta "  in  the  most  appropriate  style. 
On  the  evening  of  the  performance  His  Royal  High- 
ness the  Prince  of  "Wales  arrived  punctually  at  half- 
past  eight  to  assist  in  receiving  the  Shah,  who  did 
not  put  in  an  appearance ;  and  it  was  ten  minutes  to 
nine  when  Sir  Michael  Costa  led  off  the  opera.  I 
shall  never  forget  the  look  the  fair  Swede  cast  upon 
the  empty  royal  box,  and  it  was  not  until  half-past 


158  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

nine,  when  the  act  of  La  Favorita  had  commenced, 
that  His  Majesty  arrived.  He  was  particularly 
pleased  with  the  ballet  I  had  introduced  in  the 
Favorita.  The  Prince  of  Wales,  with  his  usual 
consideration  and  foresight,  suggested  to  me  that  it 
might  smooth  over  the  difficulty  in  which  he  saw 
clearly  I  should  be  placed  on  the  morrow  in  con- 
nection with  Mdme.  Nilsson,  if  she  were  presented 
to  the  Shah  prior  to  his  departure. 

I  thereupon  crossed  the  stage  and  went  to  Mdrae. 
Nilsson's  room,  informing  her  of  this.  She  at  once 
objected,  having  already  removed  her  magnificent 
Traviata  toilette  and  attired  herself  for  the  character 
of  "  Mignon,"  which  consists  of  a  torn  old  dress 
almost  in  rags,  with  hair  hanging  dishevelled 
down  the  back,  and  naked  feet.  After  explaining 
that  it  was  a  command  with  which  she  must  comply, 
I  persuaded  her  to  put  a  bold  face  on  the  matter 
and  follow  me.  I  accompanied  her  to  the  ante-room 
of  the  royal  box,  and  before  I  could  notify  her 
arrival  to  His  Royal  Highness,  to  the  astonishment 
of  all  she  had  walked  straight  to  the  farther  end  of 
the  room,  where  His  Majesty  was  then  busily 
employed  eating  peaches  out  of  the  palms  of  his 
hands. 

The  »look  of  astonishment  on  every  Eastern  face 
was  worthy  of  the  now  well-known  picture  on  the 
Nabob  pickles.  "Without  a  moment's  delay  Mdme. 
Nilsson  made  straight  for  His  Majesty,  saying  — 

"  Vous  fites  un  tres  mauvais  Shah,"  gesticulating 


VISIT  TO  THE  SHAH.  159 


with  her  right  hand.  "  Tout  a  1'heure  j'e*tais 
riclie,  avec  des  costumes  superbes,  expres  pour 
votre  Majest^  ;  a  present  je  me  trouve  tr6s  pauvre 
et  sans  souliers,"  at  the  same  time  raising  her 
right  foot  within  half  an  inch  of  His  Majesty's  nose  ; 
who,  with  his  spectacles,  was  looking  to  see  what 
she  was  pointing  to.  He  was  so  struck  with  the 
originality  of  the  fair  prima  donna  that  he  at  once 
notified  his  attendants  that  he  would  not  go  to  the 
Goldsmiths'  Ball  for  the  present,  but  would  remain 
to  see  this  extraordinary  woman. 

His  Majesty  did  not  consequently  reach  the 
Goldsmiths'  Hall  until  past  midnight.  The  Lord 
Mayor,  the  Prime  Warden,  the  authorities,  and 
guards  of  honour  had  all  been  waiting  since  half- 
past  nine. 

On  the  close  of  my  London  season  of  1873  I  had 
considerable  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  renewal  of 
Mdme.  Nilsson's  contract  for  the  ensuing  year;  in 
fact,  she  declined  altogether  to  discuss  the  matter 
with  me.  I  was  fully  aware  that  she  was  very 
jealous  of  the  firm  position  which  Mdlle.  Titiens 
enjoyed  in  the  good  opinion  of  the  British  public. 
This  had  manifested  itself  on  the  occasion  of 
Titiens's  benefit,  when  Nozze  di  Figaro  had  been 
selected  for  the  closing  night  of  the  season.  Much 
correspondence  took  place,  in  the  course  of  which 
it  was  asserted  that  M.  Rouzaud  would  not  allow 
his  wife  to  put  on  "  Cherubino's  "  trunks,  he  having 
decided  that  her  legs  should  never  again  be  seen  by 


100  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEM  OIKS. 

the  public.  I,  therefore,  had  to  substitute  Mdme. 
Trebelli,  who,  as  an  experienced  contralto,  could 
make  no  objection  on  such  points. 

Mdme.  Nilsson's  agent,  Mr.  Jarrett,  succeeded  at 
last  in  inducing  her  to  sign  a  contract,  and  he  then 
explained  to  me  that  Mr.  Gye  had  been  repeatedly 
making  offers  to  her  during  the  previous  week, 
which,  in  spite  of  his  notorious  friendship  for  Mr. 
Gye,  he  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  making  her 
refuse. 

Ultimately  an  engagement  had  been  prepared, 
and  Jarrett  asked  me  to  sign  it  at  the  station  just 
as  Mdme.  Nilsson  was  about  to  start  for  Paris. 
Before  doing  so  I  requested  permission  at  all  events 
to  glance  it  over,  when  Mdme.  Nilsson  replied  — 

"  The  train  is  going.  Either  sign  or  leave  it 
alone.  I  can  make  no  possible  alteration." 

I  mechanically  appended  my  signature ;  the  train 
started. 

On  perusing  the  engagement  I  discovered  that 
she  had  reserved  for  herself  the  exclusive  right  of 
playing  "  Norraa,"  "  Lucrezia,"  "  Fidelio,"  "  Donna 
Anna,"  "  Semiramide,"  and  "Valentine"  in  Les 
Huguenots.  But  having  omitted  the  words  "  during 
the  season,"  and  inasmuch  as  her  engagement  for 
1874  did  not  commence  until  the  29th  day  of  May, 
I  had  a  clear  period  of  eleven  weeks  during  which 
another  priraa  donna  could  play  the  parts  Mdrae. 
Nilsson  claimed  without  overstepping  her  stringent 
condition. 


TOO  AMBITIOUS.  161 

I,  moreover,  felt  placed  in  great  difficulty  with 
regard  to  Mdlle.  Titiens,  who  was  then  at  the 
Worcester  Festival,  and  to  whom  it  was,  of  course, 
necessary  to  mention  the  matter.  I  decided  to  go 
to  Worcester  at  once  and  unbosom  myself. 

The  great  prima  donna,  on  hearing  what  I  had  to 
tell  her,  smiled  and  said  — 

"  By  all  means  let  her  play  the  parts  she  wants ; 
and,  if  the  public  prefers  her  rendering  of  them  to 
mine,  by  all  means  let  her  keep  them.  But  during 
the  first  eleven  weeks  they  are  open  to  other  singers, 
and  I  will  repeat  them  one  by  one  so  that  the  public 
may  have  a  fair  opportunity  of  judging  between 


us." 


The  great  artist  was,  therefore,  on  her  mettle 
during  the  early  performances  of  1874,  prior  to 
Nilsson's  arrival. 

The  season  opened  with  Semiramide,  followed 
immediately  by  Fidelio,  Norma,  Huguenots,  Lucrezia, 
etc.,  which  were  played  one  after  the  other  until  the 
arrival  of  Nilsson,  who  sang  first  in  Faust,  and 
immediately  afterwards  in  Balfe's  Talismano,  after 
which  I  called  on  her  to  appear  as  "  Lucrezia." 

The  next  morning  I  had  a  visit  from  her  agent 
requesting  me  not  to  press  the  matter,  as  she  was 
not  quite  prepared.  I  thereupon  said  "Semiramide" 
would  do  as  well ;  to  this  he  offered  some  objec- 
tion ;  but  at  length,  on  my  urging  "  Fidelio,"  he 
explained  to  me  that  if  I  insisted  upon  her  playing 
any  of  those  characters  which  she  had  expressly 

VOL.  I.  M 


162  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

stipulated  for  I  should  mortally  offend  her.  I 
could  not  even  induce  her  to  appear  as  "  Donna 
Anna."  Not  one  of  those  parts  which  she  had  re- 
served for  her  exclusive  use  was  she  able  to  under- 
take. We,  therefore,  had  to  fall  back  on  Faust, 
alternated  with  La  Traviata. 

Finally  a  compromise  was  made  whereby  Mdme. 
Nilsson  undertook  the  role  of  "  Donna  Elvira  "  in 
Don  Giovanni,  Mdlle.  Titiens  retaining  her  great 
impersonation  of  "  Donna  Anna,"  in  which  she  was 
acknowledged  throughout  the  world  of  music  to  be 
unrivalled.  This  happy  combination  having  been 
brought  about,  the  season  concluded  with  my 
benefit,  when  Don  Giovanni  was  given  to  some 
£1,200  receipts. 

During  the  autumn  of  1873  I  made  ray  usual 
operatic  tour,  commencing  in  Dublin  about  the 
middle  of  September,  where  we  remained  three 
weeks,  afterwards  visiting  Belfast,  Glasgow,  Edin- 
burgh, Newcastle,  Liverpool,  Manchester,  Birming- 
ham, Bristol,  Bath,  and  Brighton,  where  we  con- 
cluded on  the  20th  December. 

Early  in  January,  1874,  I  again  gave  my  usual 
forty-eight  concerts  in  the  various  cities,  opening 
the  Edinburgh  opera  season  about  the  middle  of 
February.  We  afterwards  visited  other  places,  which 
brought  us  on  to  the  London  season,  when  I  again 
occupied  Drury  Lane  Theatre. 

During  this  year  I  produced  Auber's  Grown 
Diamonds,  and  afterwards  Balfe's  Talismano,  in 


PRODUCTION  OF  IL  TAHSMANO.  163 

which  Mdlle.  Nilsson  undertook  the  principal  role, 
Marie  Roze  appearing  as  the  "  Queen."  Balfe's 
opera  was  very  successful,  and  this,  coupled  with 
the  alternate  appearances  of  Titiens  and  Nilsson 
in  other  characters,  followed  by  the  revival  of  the 
Magic  Flute,  in  which  the  whole  Company  took  part, 
brought  the  season  to  a  successful  conclusion. 

In  the  autumn  of  1874  I  opened,  as  usual,  at 
Dublin,  with  a  very  powerful  company,  and  con- 
tinued out  in  the  provinces  until  the  latter  part  of 
December.  I  then  went  on  the  Continent  in  search 
of  talent  for  the  ensuing  year,  and  returned  in  time 
to  be  present  at  my  first  concert,  which  took  place 
in  Liverpool  early  in  January,  1875.  We  afterwards 
went  through  Ireland  and  the  English  provinces, 
commencing  in  the  beginning  of  March  the  regular 
Italian  Opera  season  in  the  northern  capital,  followed 
by  Glasgow,  Liverpool,  &c. 

lima  de  Murska  was  punctual  with  a  punctuality 
which  put  one  out  quite  as  much  as  utter  inability 
to  keep  an  appointment  would  have  done.  She  was 
sure  to  turn  up  on  the  very  evening,  and  at  the 
very  hour  when  she  was  wanted  for  a  representa- 
tion. But  she  had  a  horror  of  rehearsals,  and  never 
thought  it  worth  while,  when  she  was  travelling 
from  some  distant  place  on  the  Continent,  to 
announce  that  she  had  started,  or  to  give  any  idea 
as  to  when  she  might  really  be  expected.  Her 
geographical  knowledge,  too,  was  often  at  fault, 
and  some  of  the  routes — "  short  cuts  "  she  called 


164  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

them — by  which  she  reached  London  from  Vienna, 
were  of  the  most  extraordinary  kind.  She  had 
taken  a  dislike  to  the  Railway  Station  at  Cologne, 
where  she  declared  that  a  German  officer  had  once 
spoken  to  her  without  being  introduced ;  and  on 
one  occasion,  partly  to  avoid  the  station  of  which 
she  preserved  so  painful  a  recollection,  partly  in 
order  to  get  to  London  by  a  new  and  expeditious 
route,  she  travelled  from  Vienna  to  St.  Petersburg, 
and  from  St.  Petersburg  took  boat  to  Hull,  where 
she  arrived  just  in  time  to  join  my  Opera  Company 
at  the  representations  that  I  was  then  giving  in 
Edinburgh.  We  had  not  heard  of  her  for  weeks, 
and  she  came  into  the  dressing-room  to  find  Madame 
Van  Zandt  already  attired  for  the  part  Mdlle.  de 
Murska  was  to  have  played,  that  of  "  Lucia."  She 
argued,  with  some  truth,  that  she  was  in  time  for 
the  performance,  and  declared,  moreover,  that  in 
entrusting  the  part  of  "  Lucia  "  to  another  singer 
she  could  see  a  desire  on  my  part  to  get  rid  of 
her. 

The  prima  donna  has  generally  a  parrot,  a  pet 
dog,  or  an  ape,  which  she  loves  to  distraction,  and 
carries  with  her  wherever  she  goes.  lima  de  Murska, 
however,  travelled  with  an  entire  menagerie.  Her 
immense  Newfoundland,  Pluto,  dined  with  her 
every  day.  A  cover  was  laid  for  him  as  for  her, 
and  he  had  learned  to  eat  a  fowl  from  a  plate 
without  dropping  any  of  the  meat  or  bones  on  the 
floor  or  even  on  the  table  cloth. 


ILMA  DE  MURSKA'S  GEOGRAPHY.  165 

Pluto  was  a  good-natured  dog,  or  he  would  have 
made  short  work  of  the  monkey,  the  two  parrots, 
and  the  Angora  cat,  who  were  his  constant  asso- 
ciates. The  intelligent  animal  hated  travelling:  in 

o  o 

the  dog-truck,  and  he  would  resort  to  any  sort  of 
device  in  order  to  join  his  mistress  in  her  first-class 
carriage,  where  he  would,  in  spite  of  his  immense 
bulk,  squeeze  himself  beneath  the  seat.  Once  I 
remember  he  sprang  through  the  closed  window, 
cutting  himself  severely  about  the  nose  in  his  daring 
leap. 

The  other  animals  were  simple  nuisances.  But  I 
must  do  the  monkey  the  justice  to  say  that  he  did 
his  best  to  kill  the  cat,  and  a  bare  place  on  Minette's 
back  showed  how  badly  she  had  once  been  clawed 
by  her  mischievous  tormentor. 

The  most  expensive  of  Mdlle.  de  Murska's  pets 
were  probably  the  parrots.  They  flew  about  the 
room,  perching  everywhere  and  pecking  at  every- 
thing. Once  at  the  Queen's  Hotel,  Birmingham, 
they  tore  with  their  beaks  the  kid  off  a  valuable  set 
of  chairs,  for  which  the  hotel-keeper  charged  £30. 
The  hotel  bill  of  this  reckless  prima  donna  was 
alwa}-s  of  the  most  alarming  kind.  She  had  the 
most  extraordinary  whims,  and  when  Signer  Sinico, 
Mdme.  Sinico's  first  husband,  in  order  to  show  the 
effect  of  parsley  upon  parrots,  gave  to  one  of  Mdme. 
de  Murska's  birds  enough  parsley  to  kill  it,  nothing 
would  satisfy  the  disconsolate  lady  but  to  have  a 
post-mortem  examination  of  the  bird's  remains. 


166  TEE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

This  was  at  Glasgow,  and  the  post-mortem  was 
made  by  two  very  grave,  and  I  have  no  doubt  very 
learned,  Scotch  practitioners.  Finding  in  the  parrot's 
maw  some  green  matter  for  which  they  could  not 
satisfactorily  account,  they  came,  after  lon<*  delibera- 
tion, to  the  conclusion  that  the  bird  had  been  eating 
the  green  wall-paper  of  the  sitting  room,  and  that 
the  arsenic  contained  in  the  colouring  matter  had 
caused  its  death.  The  cost  of  this  opinion  was  three 
guineas,  which  Mdlle.  de  Murska  paid  without  a 
murmur. 

I  again  returned  to  Drury  Lane  for  my  London 
season  of  1875.  After  lengthy  negotiations  with  a 
great  Italian  tragedian,  engagements  were  signed, 
and  he  duly  arrived  in  London,  and  appeared  the 
second  night  of  my  season  in  the  character  of 
"  Otello."  I  need  scarcely  say  that  this  tragedian 
was  Salvini,  who  at  once  struck  the  public  by  his 
magnificent  delineation  of  Shakespeare's  hero.  I 
was  now  compelled  to  open  my  theatre  seven  times 
every  week  (four  for  opera,  three  for  tragedy),  from 
the  early  part  of  March  until  the  latter  end  of  July. 
I  produced  various  works,  notably  Wagner's  Lohen- 
grin, in  which  Mdlle.  Titiens,  who  very  kindly  under- 
took the  role  of  "  Ortruda,"  really  excelled  herself. 
This,  with  Mdlle.  Christine  Nilsson  as  "  Elsa,"  Cam- 
panini  as  the  "  Knight  of  the  Swan,"  and  Galassi  as 
"  Telramund,"  with  an  increased  orchestra  under  Sir 
Michael  Costa*  s  able  direction,  caused  rne  to  increase 
the  prices  of  admission ;  and  even  then  it  was  ioipos- 


PRODUCTION  OF  LOHENGRIN'.  167 

sible  to  get  a  seat  during  the  remainder  of  the 
season. 

About  this  time  the  usual  annual  proposals 
were  made  for  Mdlle.  Titiens's  services  at  a  series 
of  concerts  to  be  given  in  the  United  States  of 
America,  by  which  she  was  to  receive  £160  a  night 
guaranteed,  and  half  the  receipts  beyond  a  certain 
amount.  After  some  time  I  consented  to  this 
arrangement. 

At  the  close  of  Salvini's  engagement  I  handed 
him  £8,000  for  his  half-share  of  the  profits,  retain- 
ing a  like  amount  for  myself. 

In  July,  1875,  one  of  the  most  charming  vocalists 
that  it  has  been  my  pleasure  to  know,  a  lady  who  as 
regards  voice,  talent,  grace,  and  style  was  alike 
perfect,  and  who  was  as  estimable  by  her  womanly 
qualities  as  by  her  purely  artistic  ones,  made  her 
first  appearance  at  my  temporary  Operatic  home, 
Drury  Lane,  as  "  Rosina,"  in  II  Barbiere.  This  was 
Mdlle.  Marguerite  Chapuy,  and  no  sooner  had  the 
news  of  her  success  been  proclaimed  than  Adelina 
Patti  came,  not  once,  but  twice  running  to  hear 
ler. 

At  the  first  performance  Mdlle.  Chapuy  made 
such  an  impression  on  the  public  that  in  the  scene 
of  the  music  lesson  she  was  encored  no  less  than 
four  times;  particularly  successful  among  the 
various  pieces  she  introduced  being  the  "  Aragonese" 
from  Auber's  Domino  Noir,  and  the  waltz  from 
Gounod's  Romeo  and  Juliet.  Sir  Michael  Costa 


168  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

hated   encores,  but  on  this  occasion   he   departed 
willingly  from  his  usual  rule. 

Marguerite  Chapuy  charmed  everyone  she  came 
near;  among  others  a  young  French  sergeant,  a 
gentleman,  that  is  to  say,  who  had  enlisted  in  the 
French  army,  and  was  now  a  non-commissioned 
officer.  Her  parents,  however,  did  not  look  upon 
the  young  man  as  a  fit  husband  for  such  a  prima 
donna  as  their  daughter,  and  it  was  true  that  no 
vocalist  on  the  stage  seemed  to  have  a  brighter 
future  before  her.  Mdlle.  Chapuy  remained  mean- 
while at  Drury  Lane,  and  the  success  of  her  first 
season  was  fully  renewed  when  in  the  second  she 
appeared  as  "  Violetta  "  in  La  Traviata.  A  more 
refined  impersonation  of  a  character  which  requires 
very  delicate  treatment,  had  never  been  seen. 

It  struck  me  after  a  time  that  my  new  "  Violetta  " 
was  not  wasting  away  in  the  fourth  act  of  La 
Traviata  alone.  She  seemed  to  be  really  perishing 
of  some  malady  hard  to  understand ;  and  when  the 
most  eminent  physicians  in  London  were  called  in 
they  all  regarded  the  case  as  a  difficult  one  to  deal 
with  since  there  was  nothing  definite  the  matter 
with  the  patient.  Gradually,  however,  she  was 
fading  away. 

There  could  be  no  thought  of  her  appearing  now 
on  the  stage ;  and  at  her  own  desire,  as  well  as  that 
of  her  father  and  mother,  who  were  naturally  most 
anxious  about  her,  she  was  removed  to  France.  No 
signs  of  improvement,  however,  manifested  them- 


MARGUERITE  CHAPUY.  169 

selves.  She  got  weaker  and  weaker,  and  when  she 
was  seemingly  on  the  point  of  death  her  hard- 
hearted parents  consented  to  her  marriage  with  the 
young  sergeant.  My  consent  had  also  to  be  given, 
and  I  naturally  did  not  withhold  it. 

Mdlle.  Chapuy  had  signed  an  engagement  with 
me  for  several  years.  But  everyone  said  that  the 
unhappy  vocalist  was  doomed;  and  such  was  beyond 
doubt  the  belief  of  her  parents,  or  they  never  would 
have  consented  to  her  throwing  herself  away  on  an 
honourable  young  man  who  was  serving  his  country 
for  something  less  than  a  franc  a  day,  when  she 
might  so  easily  have  captured  an  aged  banker  or  a 
ruined  Count. 

Shortly  afterwards  I  met  her  in  Paris  looking 
remarkably  well.  She  told  me  that  her  husband  had 
received  his  commission  soon  after  their  marriage, 

o    * 

and  that  he  now  held  some  local  command  at 
Angouleme.  As  I  had  not  released  her  from  her 
engagement,  I  suggested  to  her,  and  even  entreated, 
that  she  should  fulfil  it.  Her  husband,  however, 
would  not  hear  of  such  a  thing.  He  preferred  that 
they  should  live  quietly  on  the  £120  a  year  which 
he  was  now  receiving  from  the  Government.  I 
offered  as  much  as  £200  a  night,  but  without  effect. 
All  I  could  get  was  a  promise  from  Mdlle.  Chapuy 
that  in  the  event  of  her  returning  to  the  sta^e  she 

o  o 

would  give  me  her  services  in  accordance  with  the 
terms  of  the  contract  she  had  previously  signed. 
Later  on  she  told  me  that  she  still  sang  once  a  year 


170  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEMOIRS. 

for  charitable  purposes;   and  I  still  hope  for  her 
return  to  the  lyric  stage. 

I  here  append  the  letter  she  addressed  to  me  just 
after  her  marriage : — 

"  Angoule"me,  8  Decembre,  1876. 

"  CHEB  MONSIEUR  MAPLESON, 

"  Je  vous  remercie  de  votre  bonne  lettre  et 
je  m'empresse  d'  y  r^pondre  pour  vous  assurer  que 
je  m'engage  aussi  formellement  que  vous  pouvez  le 
de"sirer  &  ce  que  Tengageraent  que  nous  avion s 
ensemble  soit  remis  en  vigueur  si  jamais  je  reprends 
la  carriere  theatrale :  je  vous  promets  aussi  que 
vous  pourriez  compter  sur  moi  pour  la  grande  saison 
de  Londres  qui  suivrait  ma  rentre"a  sur  la  scene. 
Vous  avez  e*t6  trop  bon  et  trop  aimable  pour  moi, 
pour  que  j'h6site  un  instant  &  vous  faire  cette 
promesse.  Du  reste,  il  me  serait  bien  agreable,  si  je 
reprenais  le  theatre,  de  reparaitre  sur  la  sce"ne  de 
Londres,  car  je  n'ai  pas  oublie*  combien  le  public 
Anglais  a  e*t<$  bienveillant  pour  moi. 

"  En  attendant  votre  re*ponse  veuillez  agre*er  cher 
Monsieur  Mapleson  Tassurance  de  mes  sentiments 


"  MAEGUEEITE 

"  Rue  St.  Gelais,  34. 

"Mon  mari,  ma  grande-m6re,  et  ma  mere  sont 
bien  sensibles  a  votre  aimable  souvenir  et  vous  font 
tous  leurs  compliments." 

There  are  two  ways  of  judging  a  singer — by  the 


DRAWING  POWERS  OF  PRIME  DOXNE.       171 

vocalist's  artistic  merits,  and  by  the  effect  of  his  or 
her  singing  on  the  receipts.  In  the  first  place  I 
judge  for  myself  by  the  former  process.  But  when 
an  appearance  has  once  been  made  I  fall  back,  as 
every  manager  is  bound  to  do,  on  the  commercial 
method  of  judgment,  and  calculate  whether  the 
amount  of  money  drawn  by  the  singer  is  enough  to 
justify  the  outlay  I  am  making  for  that  singer's 
services.  The  latter  was  the  favourite  system  of 
the  illustrious  Barbaja,  who,  when  he  was  asked  his 
private  opinion  as  to  this  or  that  member  of  his  Com- 
pany, would  say  — 

"  I  have  not  yet  consulted  my  books.  I  must 
see  what  the  receipts  were,  and  I  will  answer  your 
question  to-morrow." 

Referring  to  my  books,  I  find  with  great  satisfac- 
tion that  the  charming  artist,  whom  I  admired  quite 
as  much  before  she  had  sung  a  note  at  my  theatre 
as  I  did  afterwards,  when  she  had  fairly  captivated 
the  public,  drew  at  her  first  performance  £488,  and 
at  her  second  £538  ;  this  in  addition  to  an  average 
nightly  subscription  of  £600. 

Thus  Mdlle.  Chapuy  made  her  mark  from  the 
first. 

Other  vocalists,  even  of  the  highest  merit,  have 
been  less  fortunate.  Thus  Mdlle.  Marimon,  when 
she  appeared  at  my  theatre  in  1871,  drew  at  her  first 
performance  (that  of  "  Amina,"  in  La  Sonnambula) 
£73,  at  her  second  £280,  at  her  third  £358,  at  her 
fourth  £428.  To  these  sums,  as  in  the  case  of 


172  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Mdlle.  Chapuy,  the  nightly  proportion  of  the  sub- 
scription has,  of  course,  to  be  added. 

As  with  singers,  so  with  operas.  I  choose  a  work 
which,  according  to  my  judgment,  ought  to  succeed, 
and  cast  it  as  well  as  I  possibly  can.  It  will  not  in 
any  case  please  the  public  the  first  night ;  and  I  have 
afterwards  to  decide  whether  I  shall  make  sacrifices, 
as  with  Faiisty  and  run  it  at  a  loss  in  the  hope  of  an 
ultimate  success,  or  whether  I  shall  cut  the  matter 
short  by  dropping  it,  even  after  a  vast  outlay  in 
scenery,  dresses,  and  properties,  and  after  much 
time  and  energy  expended  at  rehearsals. 

When  I  brought  out  Cherubini's  admirable  Deux 
Joumfas  (otherwise  The  Water  Carrier)  I  was  com- 
plimented by  the  very  best  judges  on  the  beauty  of 
the  work,  and  also  (how  little  they  knew !)  on  its 
success.  I  received  congratulations  from  Jenny 
Lind,  from  Benedict,  from  Halle,  from  Millais, 
from  the  Baroness  Burdett-Coutts.  But  there  was 
not  more  than  £97  that  night  in  the  treasury. 
Thereupon  I  made  my  calculation.  It  would  have 
cost  me  £1,200  to  make  the  work  go,  and  I  could 
not  at  that  moment  afford  it.  I  was  obliged,  then, 
to  drop  it,  and  that  after  five  weeks'  rehearsals  ! 

Some  time  afterwards  I  produced  Rossini's  Otello 
with  a  magnificent  cast.  Tamberlik  was  the 
"  Otello,"  Faure  the  "  lago,"  Nilsson  the  "  Desde- 
mona."  The  other  parts  were  played  by  Foli, 
Carrion  (an  excellent  tenor  from  Spain),  and  others. 
All  my  friends  were  delighted  to  find  that  I  had 


IRONY  OF  AN  EARL.  178 

made  another  great  success.  I  listened  to  their 
flattering  words.  But  the  treasury  contained  only 
£167  3s.,  for  which  reason  Otello  was  nob  repeated. 
In  rebuilding  Her  Majesty's  Theatre  Lord  Dudley 
did  not  think  it  worth  while  to  consult  me  or  any 
other  operatic  manager.  He  had  the  opportunity  of 
erecting  the  only  isolated  theatre  in  London,  and 
the  most  magnificent  Opera-house  in  the  world,  for 
the  shops  in  the  Opera  Colonnade  and  tho  adjoining 
hotel  in  Charles  Street  might  at  that  time  have 
been  purchased  for  comparatively  small  sums.  The 
Earl,  however,  as  lie  himself  told  me,  cared  only  to 
comply  with  the  terms  of  his  lease,  which  bound  him 
to  replace  the  theatre  which  had  been  destroyed  by 
another  of  no  matter  what  description,  provided 
only  that  it  had  four  long  scenes  and  four  short  ones. 

Messrs.  Lee  and  Paine,  the  architects  entrusted 
with  the  duty  of  covering  the  vacant  site,  acted 
after  their  own  lights,  and  they  succeeded  in  re- 
placing two  good  theatres  by  a  single  bad  one.  The 
old  Opera-house,  despite  its  narrow  stage,  had  a, 
magnificent  auditorium,  and  the  Bijou  theatre, 
enclosed  within  its  walls,  possessed  a  value  of  its 
own.  It  was  let  to  Charles  Mathews,  when  theatrical 
property  possessed  less  value  than  now,  for  £100  a 
week ;  and  Jenny  Lind  sang  in  it  to  houses  of  £  1 ,400. 

When  the  new  theatre  had  been  quite  finished 
Lord  Dudley  was  shown  over  it  by  the  delighted 
architects.  His  lordship  was  a  tall  man,  and  his 
hat  suffered,  I  remember,  by  coming  into  collision 


174  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

with  the  ceiling  of  one  of  the  corridors.  Turning  to 
the  senior  partner,  who  was  dying  to  catch  from  his 
aristocratic  patron  some  word  of  satisfaction,  if  not 
of  downright  praise,  the  Earl  thus  addressed  him  — 

"  If  narrow  corridors  and  low  ceilings  constitute 
a  fine  theatre  you  have  erected  one  which  is  indeed 
magnificent." 

The  architect,  lost  in  confusion  at  being  addressed 
in  terms  which  he  thought  from  his  lordship's  finely 
ironical  demeanour  must  be  in  the  highest  degree 
complimentary,  did  nothing  but  bow  his  acknowledg- 
ments, and  it  was  not  until  a  little  later  that  some 
good-natured  friends  took  the  trouble  to  expl  ain  to 
him  what  the  Earl  had  really  said. 


CHAPTER 

THE  NATIONAL  OPERA-HOUSE — FOUNDATION  DIFFICULTIES — 
PRIMEVAL  EEMAINS — TITIENS  LAYS  THE  FIRST  BRICK — 
THE  DUKE  OF  EDINBURGH  THE  FIRST  STONE — THE 
OPERA  AND  PARLIAMENT — OUR  RECREATION  ROOMS. 

DURING  all  this  time  I  was  busily  engaged  select- 
ing plans  for  the  construction  of  my  new  National 
Opera-house,  which  I  then  considered  a  most  desir- 
able investment,  inasmuch  as  Her  Majesty's  Theatre, 
which  had  been  hastily  built,  was  ill-adapted  for  the 
requirements  of  Italian  Opera,  whilst  Co  vent  Garden 
was  heavily  encumbered  with  liabilities.  Indeed, 
more  than  one  negotiation  had  already  taken  place 
with  the  Duke  of  Bedford  with  a  view  to  its  pur- 
chase and  demolition.  I,  therefore,  saw  that  sooner 
or  later  London  would  be  without  a  suitable  Opera- 
house.  In  order  to  expedite  the  works  it  was  con- 
sidered desirable  that  the  foundations  should  be 
proceeded  with  pending  the  final  settlement  of  the 
drawings,  taking  out  the  quantities,  etc.,  and  de- 
ciding who  the  contractors  should  be. 

Mr.  Webster,  who  constructed  the  best  part  of 
the  Thames  Embankment,  was  deemed  to  be  the 
fitting  man,  and  I  therefore  had  an  interview  with 


176  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

him  on  the  subject.  In  this  interview  he  told  me 
he  would  execute  the  whole  of  the  foundations  up 
to  the  datum  level  for  the  sum  of  £5,000. 

On  consulting  with  my  architect  he  advised  that 
it  would  be  more  economical  that  this  preliminary 
work  should  be  paid  for  by  measurement,  which  Mr. 
"Webster  ultimately  agreed  to.  No  sooner  had  they 
dug  to  a  certain  depth  than  it  was  discovered  that 
no  foundation  could  be  obtained.  Afterwards  screw 
piles  were  attempted  and  all  other  kinds  of  con- 
trivances to  obviate  the  expense  with  which  we 
were  threatened  in  the  prosecution  of  the  works. 
The  digging  proceeded  to  a  depth  of  some  40  or 
50  feet  without  discovering  anything  but  running 
springs  and  quicksands,  covered  by  a  large  overlying 
mass  of  rubbish,  being  the  accumulation  of  several 
ages  in  the  history  of  Westminster.  Many  relics 
of  olden  times  came  to  light,  including  the  skulls 
and  bones  of  wild  elks  and  other  primitive  animals 
that  once  roamed  about  the  Thames  Valley  and 
were  hunted  by  ancient  Britons  in  the  days  of  the 
Druids.  Various  swords,  gold  and  inlaid,  often 
richly-fashioned,  told  of  the  feuds  of  York  and 
Lancaster ;  while  many  other  objects,  concealed  for 
centuries,  now  came  forth  to  throw  a  light  on  the 
faded  scroll  of  the  past. 

As  the  builders  had  got  considerably  below  the 
depth  of  the  Thames  and  consequently  that  of  the 
District  Railway,  the  water  began  to  pour  in, 
which  necessitated  some  fifteen  or  twenty  steam- 
pumping  machines  being  kept  at  work  for  several 


FOUNDATION  DIFFICULTIES.  177 

months.  At  length  the  London  Clay  was  reached, 
which  necessitated  various  cuttings,  some  16ft.  wide^. 
down  which  had  to  be  placed  some  40ft.  of  concrete. 

At  length  the  foundations  were  completed,  and 
the  sum  I  had  to  pay,  according  to  measurement, 
was  not  £5,000,  but  £33,000.  This  was  really  one 
of  the  first  blows  to  my  enterprise. 

Early  in  September  the  first  brick  of  my  new 
National  Opera-house,  prior  to  the  commence- 
ment of  the  substructure,  was  laid.  A  number  of 
friends  were  on  the  ground  at  one  o'clock,  and 
in  a  short  time  a  great  throng  of  spectators  had 
assembled  around  the  spot.  Punctually  at  1.30 
Mdlle.  Titiens  arrived,  under  the  escort  of  Lord 
Alfred  Paget,  Mr.  Fowler,  the  Architect,  and 
myself.  The  party  passed  along  the  wooden 
platform,  and  descended  a  handsomely-carpeted 
staircase,  which  led  to  the  foundation  of  concrete 
upon  which  the  "  brick  "  was  to  rest.  On  reaching 
the  bottom,  Mdlle.  Titiens,  as  she  leaned  on  the  arm 
of  Mr.  Fowler,  was  presented  with  an  elaborately- 
engraved  silver  trowel  by  Mr.  Webster,  the  Con- 
tractor. The  fair  singer  was  then  conducted  to 
the  spot,  where  a  thin,  smooth  layer  of  white 
mortar  had  been  spread  on  the  concrete.  The 
foreman  of  the  masons  placed  a  brick  in  the 
midst  of  this,  and  MclNe.  Titiens  then  in  a  formal 
manner  laid  the  first  brick,  using  the  plumb-line  to 
ascertain  that  the  work  had  been  properly  done. 
Second,  third,  and  fourth  bricks  were  afterwards 

VOL.   I.  N 


173  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

laid  by  Mr.  Fowler,  Lord  Alfred  Paget,  and  myself. 
Hearty  cheers  were  then  given  for  Mdlle.  Titiens 
by  the  600  workmen  congregated  around,  who 
wished  the  Queen  of  Song  success  and  happiness 
on  her  approaching  Atlantic  voyage. 

Prior  to  her  departure,  Mdlle.  Titiens  gave  four 
farewell  concerts  in  Ireland ;  and  it  was  with  great 
-dijficulty  after  the  last  one,  at  Cork,  that  she  escajed 
from  the  concert  room  at  all,  so  numerous  were  the 
encores,.  The  skamer  having  been  signalled,  she 
had  to  rush  straight  from  the  concert  room,  in  her 
concert  dress,  with  all  her  jewellery  on,  to  catch 
the  train  leaving  for  Queenstown. 

In  the  autumn  of  1875  Mdlle.  Titiena  was  re- 
placed on  the  provincial  tour  by  Madame  Christine 
Nilsson  ;  and  the  business  again  was  highly  success- 
ful. The  tour  continued  until  Christmas.  I  came 
up  to  London  on  the  16th  December,  to  be  present 
at  the  laying  of  the  first  stone  of  the  new  Opera- 
house  by  II.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh. 

The  following  was  the  programme  of  the  cere- 
monial, which  was  duly  carried  out : — 

CEREMONY  OF  LAYING  THE  FIRST  STONE 

OF    THE 

GRAND  NATIONAL  OPERA-HOUSE, 

VICTORIA   EMBANKMENT. 
Holdert  of  Cards  of  Invitation  will  not  be  admitted  after  1.15. 

"The  bands  of  the  Coldstream  Guards  and  Honour- 
able Artillery  Company  will  be  in  attendance, 
and  a  Guard  of  Honour  will  line  the  entrance. 


LAYING  THE  FIRST  STONE.  171) 

"His  Royal  Highness  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  and 
suite  will  arrive  at  the  entrance  on  the  Victoria 
Embankment  at  half-past  one  o'clock. 

"  His  Royal  Highness  will  be  received  by  Mr.  "W. 
H.  Smith,  M.P.,  Sir  James  Hogg,  Chairman  of 
the  Metropolitan  Board  of  Works,  Mr.  F.  H. 
Fowler,  the  Architect,  and  Mr.  J.  H.  Mapleson, 
the  Director  of  the  National  Opera. 

"  On  arrival  at  the  platform  an  address  will  be  read 
to  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  in  the  name  of  the 
founders  of  the  Grand  National  Opera-house. 

"  His  Royal  Highness  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  will 
then  proceed  to  lay  the  first  stone. 

"  The  trowel  will  be  handed  to  His  Royal  Highness 
by  Mr.  Mapleson,  the  Director;  the  plumb-rule 
and  level  by  Mr.  F.  H.  Fowler,  the  Architect  ; 
and  the  mallet  by  Mr.  W.  Webster,  the  Builder. 

"  On  the  completion  of  the  ceremony  His  Royal 
Highness  will  make  a  brief  reply  to  the  address. 

"  The  Duke  of  Edinburgh  will  then  be  conducted 
to  his  carriage  at  the  entrance  by  which  His 
Royal  Highness  arrived,  and  will  drive  to  the 
St.  Stephen's  Club. 

"  16th  December,  1875." 

The  following  address  was  then  read  by  Sir  James 
McGarel  Hogg  : — 

"  YOUR  ROYAL  HIGHNESS, — 

"  On  behalf  of  the  founders  of  the  Grand 
National  Opera-house,  I  have  the  honour  to  present 
to  your  Royal  Highness  the  following  address  in 


180  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

which  the    objects    of    the    undertaking    are    set 
forth  :— 

"  The  establishment  of  a  National  Opera-house  in 
London  has  long  been  contemplated,  the  obstacle  to 
which,  however,  was  the  impossibility  of  finding  a 
suitable  site,  and  it  was  not  until  that  vast  under- 
taking was  carried  out  by  the  Metropolitan  Board  of 
Works,  which  has  resulted  in  reclaiming  from  the 
Thames  large  tracts  of  land,  and  in  throwing  open 
the  great  thoroughfare  of  the  Victoria  Embankment, 
that  a  site  sufficient  to  meet  the  requirements  of  a 
National  Opera-house  could  be  obtained  ;  and  it  is 
this  building  that  your  Royal  Highness  is  graciously 
pleased  to  inaugurate  to-day. 

"  The  National  Opera-house  is  to  be  devoted 
firstly  to  the  representation  of  Italian  Opera,  which 
will  be  confined  as  heretofore  to  the  spring  and 
summer  months ;  and,  secondly,  to  the  production  of 
the  works  of  English  composers,  represented  by 
English  performers,  both  vocal  and  instrumental. 

"  It  is  intended,  as  far  as  possible,  to  connect 
the  Grand  National  Opera-house  with  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Music,  the  National  Training  School 
for  Music,  and  other  kindred  institutions  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  by  affording  to  duly  qualified 
students  a  field  for  the  exercise  of  their  profession 
in  all  its  branches. 

"  The  privilege,  which  it  is  the  intention  of  the 
Director  to  grant  to  the  most  promising  of  these 
students,  of  being  allowed  to  hear  the  works  of  the 


THE  ADDRESS.  181 

greatest  masters  performed  by.  the  most  celebrated 
artists,  will,  in  itself,  form  an  invaluable  accesso  y 
to  their  general  training. 

"  Instead  of  being  compelled  to  seek  abroid 
further  instruction  when  their  prescribed  course  at 
the  various  establishments  is  finished,  they  will 
thus  be  able  to  obtain  this  at  home,  and  more 
quickly  and  efficiently  profit  by  example. 

"  In  Paris,  when  sufficiently  advanced,  the 
students  can  make  a  short  step  from  the  Conser- 
vatoire to  the  Grand  Opera ;  so  it  is  hoped  that. 
English  students  will  use  the  legitimate  means  new 
offered  and  afforded  for  the  first  time  in  this  country 
of  perfecting  their  general  training,  whether  as 
singers,  instrumentalists,  or  composers,  according 
to  their  just  claims. 

"  In  conclusion  I  beg  leave  to  invite  your  Royal 
Highness  to  proceed  with  the  ceremony  of  laying 
the  first  stone  of  the  new  Grand  National  Opera- 
house. 

'*  Grand  National  Opera  house, 

"Victoria  Embankment, 

"  16th  December,  1875." 

In  designing  this,  I  intended  it  to  be  the  leading 
Opera-house  of  the  world  ;  every  provision  had  been 
made.  The  building  was  entirely  isolated ;  and  a 
station  had  been  built  beneath  the  house  in  connec- 
tion with  the  District  Railway,  so  that  the  audience 
on  leaving  had  merely  to  descend  the  stairs  and 
enter  the  train.  In  the  sub-basement  dressing-rooms, 


182  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

containing  lockers,  were  provided  for  suburban 
visitors  who  might  wish  to  attend  the  opera.  A  sub- 
terranean passage,  moreover,  led  into  the  Houses  of 
Parliament ;  and  I  had  made  arrangements  by 
which  silent  members,  after  listening  to  beautiful 
music  instead  of  dull  debates,  might  return  to  the 
House  on  hearing  the  division-bell.  The  Parliamen- 
tary support  thus  secured  would  aloue  have  given  an 
ample  source  of  revenue. 

Having  plenty  of  surplus  land,  I  had  arranged 
with  the  Lyric  Club  to  lease  one  corner,  whilst  the 
Royal  Academy  of  Music  had  agreed  to  take 
another.  The  buildings,  moreover,  were  to  include 
a  new  concert  room,  together  with  a  large  gallery  for 
pictures  not  accepted  by  the  Hanging  Committee 
of  the  Royal  Academy,  to  be  called  the  "  Rejected 
Gallery." 

There  were  recreation  rooms,  too,  for  the  principal 
artists,  including  billiard  tables,  etc.,  besides  two 
very  large  Turkish  baths,  which,  it  was  hoped, 
would  be  of  service  to  the  manager  in  cases  of  sore 
throat  and  sudden  indisposition  generally. 

The  throat  doctors  appointed  to  the  establishment 
were  Dr.  Morell  Mackenzie  and  Mr.  Lennox  Brown. 

Sir  John  Humphreys  had  arranged  for  the  pur- 
chase of  a  small  steamer  to  act  as  tug  to  a  large  house- 
boat which  would,  from  time  to  time,  take  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Company  down  the  river  for  rehearsals 
or  recreation.  The  steamer  was  being  built  by  the 
Thorneycofts.  The  house-boat  was  of  unusually 


OUR  OPERATIC  ADMIRALS.  183 

dimensions,    and    contaiued    a    magnificent 

*  o 

concert-room. 

The  nautical  arrangements  had  been  confided  to 
Admiral  Sir  George  Middleton,  a  member  of  my 
acting  committee ;  or,  in  his  absence,  to  Lord  Alfred 
Paget. 

When  about  £103,000  had  been  laid  out  on  the 
building  another  £10,000  was  wanted  for  the  roofing; 
after  which  a  sum  of  £50,000,  as  already  arranged, 
could  have  been  obtained  on  mortgage.  For  want 
of  £10,000,  however,  the  building  had  to  remain 
roofless.  For  backing  or  laying  against  a  horse,  for 
starting  a  new  sporting  club  or  a  new  music-hall,  the 
money  could  have  been  found  in  a  few  hours.  But 
for  such  an  enterprise  as  the  National  Opera-house 
it  was  impossible  to  obtain  it;  and,  after  a  time,  in 
the  interest  of  my  stockholders  (fofr  there  was  a 
ground  rent  to  pay  of  £3,000;,  I  consented  to  a  sale. 

The  purchasers  were  Messrs.  Quilter,  Morris,  and 
Tod-Heatly,  to  whom  the  building  was  made  over,  as 
it  stood,  for  £29,000. 

Later  on  it  was  resold  for  £500;  and  the  new 
buyers  had  to  pay  no  less  than  £3,000  in  order  to 
get  the  walls  pulled  dowa  and  broken  up  into  build- 
ing materials. 

The  site  of  what,  with  a  little  public  spirit  use- 
fully applied,  would  have  been  the  finest  theatre  in 
the  world,  is  now  to  serve  for  a  new  police-station. 
With  such  solid  foundations,  the  cells,  if  nofc  com- 
fortable, will  at  least  be  dry. 


CHAPTER  Xin. 

FIRST  VISIT  TO  AMERICA — MAKING  MONET  out  OF  SHAKE- 
SPEARE— CHATTER-TON'S  SECRET  AGENTS — BIDDING  FOB 
HER  MAJESTY'S  THEATRE— ILLNESS  OP  TITIENS — 
GERSTEB'S  SUCCESS — PRODUCTION  OF  "  CARMEN." 

AT  the  close  of  the  year  1875  I  was  invited  to 
spend  the  evening  with  some  friends  to  see  the  old 
year  out  and  the  new  year  in.  Amongst  the  visitors 
at  the  house  I  met  an  American  gentleman  who  had 
seen  many  of  my  performances ;  and  he  assured  me 
that  if  I  would  but  go  to  America  I  should  do  a  very 
fine  business,  but  that  prior  to  making  arrange- 
ments I  either  ought  to  send  over  a  trusted  agent  or 
go  myself.  So  fully  did  he  impress  me  by  his  con- 
versation, that,  although  I  had  never  contemplated 
such  a  thing,  I  went  home  late  that  night,  or  rather 
early  the  next  morning,  put  a  lot  of  traps  together, 
and  started  the  same  afternoon  for  America,  reach- 
ing Queenstown  early  on  the  morning  of  the  2nd 
January  in  time  to  catch  the  steamer. 

I  shall  never  forget  my  first  voyage.     I  knew  no 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  AMERICA.  185 

one  on  board  :  we  were  six  or  seven  passengers  in  all. 
Few  care  to  leave  for  a  long  voyage  on  New  Year's 
Day.  The  vessel  was  not  only  small,  although 
a  Cunarder,  but  very  unsteady.  She  was  known 
amongst  nautical  men  as  the  "  Jumping  Java."  Our 
passage  occupied  14  days,  and  we  had  to  weather 
several  very  severe  gales.  One  day  we  only  made  16 
knots. 

However,  I  arrived  on  the  other  side  in  due  course, 
and  was  forcibly  struck  with  the  grand  country  I 
had  entered.  As  I  could  remain  there  only  nine  or 
ten  days  I  hastened  to  visit  Chicago,  Philadelphia, 
Boston,  Cincinnati,  and  other  places,  in  addition  to 
New  York.  I,  however,  "  prospected  "  by  carefully 
noting  all  I  saw;  and  afterwards  returned  to  England 
to  join  my  touring  concert  party  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  month.  It  was  then  in  the  provinces. 
1  felt  myself  fully  master  of  what  I  intended  the 
following  year  to  undertake;  namely,  a  tour  of  Her 
Majesty's  Opera  Company  in  America,  which  later 
on  in  these  memoirs  I  shall  have  occasion  to  describe. 
I  also  organized  another  tour  in  the  English  pro- 
vinces, with  Salvini,  who  appeared  afterwards  in  all 
the  principal  provincial  towns  with  immense  success. 

In  the  middle  of  October,  1875,  I  had  the  honour 
of  being  invited  by  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  to  East- 
well  Park.  Thinking  the  invitation  was  only  for 
the  day,  I  took  nothing  with  me  but  a  small  bag 
containing  an  evening  suit  and  a  single  shirt.  When 
I  arrived  at  Ashford  station  I  was  met  by  two  six- 


18t>  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

foot  men  in  scarlet  liveries,  who  had  arrived  with  a 
fourgon,  drawn  by  two  splendid  horses,  into  which 
they  proposed  to  put  my  luggage.  I  noticed  their 
efforts  to  restrain  a  smile  when  I  handed  to  them 
my  little  hand-bag.  Another  magnificent  equipage 
had  been  sent  for  me  personally. 

I  was  received  with  the  greatest  possible  kind- 
ness ;  and  it  will  interest  many  of  ray  readers  to 
know  that  just  before  dinner  the  Duchess  took  me 
to  a  buffet  on  which  was  laid  out  caviare,  smoked 
salmon,  salt  herring  (cut  into  small  pieces),  dried 
mushrooms,  pickled  cucumbers,  and  the  various 
appetizing  delicacies  which,  with  spirits  or  liqueurs, 
form  the  preliminary  repast  known  to  the  Russians 
as  zakuslca. 

I  had  the  honour  of  taking  the  Duchess  in  to 
dinner,  where  we  formed  a  party  of  four :  the  Duke, 
the  Duchess,  the  equerry  in  attendance,  and  myself. 
After  dinner  we  adjourned  to  the  music-room,  where 
I  noticed  piles  upon  piles  of  music-books.  I  soon 
saw  that  the  Duchess  was  an  excellent  musician. 
Tl.e  Duke,  too,  received  evidence  of  this;  for  in 
difficult  passages  he  was  pulled  up  and  corrected 
again  and  again.  Smoking  being  permitted  and 
even  enjoined,  I  lighted  a  cigar  and  smoked  in 
silence  on  the  sofa,  listening  with  interest  to  the 
musical  performances,  which  were  in  the  form  of 
duets  for  violin  and  piano,  or  violin  solos  with 
pianoforte  accompaniment. 

The  next  moruiug  we  were  up  early,  and  I  was 


MY  VISIT  TO  EAST  WELL  PARK.  187 

taken  over  the  estate.  The  Duchess  pointed  out  to 
me  her  own  particular  fish-pond,  in  which  she 
sometimes  angles  with  a  view  to  the  table. 

Then  I  went  out  shooting  with  the  Duke;  a 
rather  trying  business,  for  I  had  neither  shooting- 
clothes  nor,  far  worse,  shooting-boots.  Of  course  it 
began  to  rain,  and  I  was  soon  wet  through  to  the 
skin,  my  ordinary  walking  boots  being  soaked  in 
such  a  manner  that  when  I  got  back  to  the  house, 
by  which  time  the  leather  had  partially  dried  and 
contracted,  I  had  considerable  difficulty  in  getting 
them  off.  The  Duke  was  kind  enough  to  lend  me 
an  overcoat. 

At  luncheon  the  Duchess  asked  for  the  key  of  the 
wine  cellar,  at  which  the  Duke  expressed  surprise 
and  curiosity.  He  was  reproached  for  his  inquisi- 
tiveness,  but  was  not  at  the  time  enlightened  as  to 
the  object  for  which  the  keys  were  wanted. 

It  appeared  later  on  at  dinner  that  the  Duchess 
had  been  visiting  a  curate  at  some  eight  miles 
distance,  who  was  ill,  and  had  been  recommended 
port  wine.  This,  out  of  his  meagre  income,  he 
would  be  unable,  she  said,  to  afford. 

"  "With  eighty  pounds  a  year  and  five  children, 
how,"  she  asked,  "  can  he  drink  port  wine  and  eat 
new-laid  eggs  ? " —  which  the  doctor  had  also 
recommended.  She  had  herself,  therefore,  driven 
over  in  the  afternoon  through  the  pouring  rain  to 
take  them  to  him. 

After  lunch  we  had  more  shooting,  the  weather 


188  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

being  now  a  trifle  better.  We  got  home  in  good 
time  for  dinner,  and  in  the  evening  played  at 
billiards.  The  Duke  is  an  infinitely  better  player 
than  I  am ;  but  by  a  series  of  flukes  I  got  ahead  of 
him,  and  at  last  found  myself  within  two  points  of 
the  game,  and  with  the  balls  so  left  that  it  was  most 
difficult  for  me  to  avoid  making  a  final  cannon.  I 
saw,  however,  from  the  expression  of  the  Duchess's 
countenance,  that  she  had  set  her  heart  upon  her 
husband's  defeating  me;  and  I  must  now  confess  that 
if  I  succeeded  in  not  making  that  cannon,  so  diffi- 
cult to  miss,  I  did  so  simply  out  of  regard  for  Her 
Royal  Highness's  feelings.  The  Duchesa  during 
the  game  acted  as  marker. 

It  was  the  Duchess's  birthday,  and  in  the  course 
of  the  evening  a  courier  from  Russia,  who  had  been 
anxiously  expected  all  day,  arrived  with  innumerable 
presents  of  jewellery.  To  these  offerings  the 
Duchess  paid  little  or  no  attention.  All  she  cared 
for  was  a  letter  she  was  awaiting  from  her  father, 
and,  on  receiving  it,  she  was  soon  absorbed  in  the 
perusal  of  its  contents. 

A  few  months  afterwards,  when  the  Duchess  was 
present  at  a  performance  of  Fidelio  given  at  Her 
Majesty's  Opera,  I  had  a  new  proof  of  Her  Royal 
Highuess's  musical  knowledge  and  of  her  delicate 
ear.  She  arrived  before  the  beginning  of  the  over- 
ture, and  brought  with  her  two  huge  orchestral 
scores.  The  Duchess  sat  on  the  floor  of  the  box 
reading  one  of  them,  and  turning  of  course  very 


SECRET  AGENTS.  189 

rapidly  over  the  leaves  during  the  stretto  of  the 
"  Leonora  "  overture.  Suddenly  she  noticed  an  un- 
certain note  from  the  second  horn,  and  exclaimed, 
as  if  to  set  the  musician  right,  "  B  flat !  "  After 
the  act  I  asked  Sir  Michael  Costa  whether  some- 
thing did  not  go  wrong  with  one  of  the  horns. 
"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  but  only  a  person  with  a  very  fine 
ear  could  have  perceived  it."  I  repeated  to  Her 
Royal  Highness  Costa's  remark  precisely  as  he  had 
made  it. 

I  opened  my  season  again  at  Drury  Lane  early  in 
1876  ;  but  the  lessee,  Mr.  Chattel-ton,  who  had  been 
secretly  treating  with  Salvini,  did  not  think  it  right 
that  in  the  great  national  theatre  under  his  control  I 
should  be  making  so  much  money  out  of  Shakes- 
peare. The  only  contract  I  could  now  get  from  him 
had  practically  the  effect  of  excluding  Salvini,  and 
this  was  really  the  beginning  of  Chatterton's  ruin. 
Although  I  was  to  pay  him  the  same  amount  of  rental 
he  insisted  on  retaining  the  Wednesday  and  Friday 
evenings  and  Saturday  mornings  for  himself.  I 
had  therefore  to  rent  another  theatre  wherein  to 
place  Salvini.  Mr.  Chatterton  brought  over  another 
Italian  tragedian,  Signer  Rossi,  and  put  him  to 
perform  at  Drury  Lane  in  opposition  to  Salvini, 
whom  I  had  to  present  at  the  Queen's  Theatre  in 
Long  Acre.  Tho  consequence  was  that  both  of  us 
dropped  money,  and  Mr.  Chatterton's  losses  during 
that  time  were,  I  believe,  considerable. 

To  rny  Opera  Company   I  had  added  M.  Faure, 


190  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

while  retaining-  all  the  favourites  of  the  previous 
year,  including  Titiens,  Trebelli,  Nilsson,  &c. ;  Sir 
Michael  Costa  remaining  as  conductor. 

At  the  close  of  1870  I  again  visited  the  provinces, 
beginning  my  usual  Italian  Opera  season  at  Dublin, 
with  Mdlle.  Titiens,  who  had  returned  fresh  from 
her  American  triumphs,  supported  by  Marie  Roze, 
Valleria,  lima  de  Murska,  Emma  Abbot,  Trebelli, 
etc.,  etc.  The  tour  was  indeed  a  most  prosperous 
one,  and  it  terminated  towards  the  latter  part  of 
the  December  of  that  year. 

Early  in  1877,  when  I  applied  for  the  renewal  of 
ray  lease  of  the  Theatre  Royal,  Drury  Lane,  Mr. 
Chatterton  showed  much  ill-will,  which  I  attributed 
to  his  jealousy  at  my  previous  success  with  Salvini, 
and  to  my  having  declined  to  allow  him  to  engage 
the  Italian  tragedian  on  his  own  account.  He 
insisted  that  I  should  have  the  theatre  but  three 
days  a  week,  and  then  only  from  ten  in  the  morning 
till  twelve  at  night.  Not  only  was  I  precluded 
from  using  the  theatre  on  the  other  days,  but  I 
was  to  finish  my  performance  always  by  midnight 
and  then  hand  him  the  key.  As  my  rehearsals 
invariably  have  to  take  place  on  the  "  off  days," 
when  there  is  no  opera,  I  should  have  been  pre- 
vented by  this  arrangement  from  rehearsing  at  all. 
In  fact,  I  found  nothing  but  impossible  clauses  and 
conditions  in  the  contract  now  offered. 

At  this  time  Mr.  Chatterton  was  very  anxious  to 
find  out  whether  or  not  the  Earl  of  Dudley  was 


/  PURCHASE  HER  MAJESTY'S  THEATRE.       191 

prepared  to  let  me  Her  Majesty's  Theatre  ;  and  to 
nscertain  this  the  good  offices  of  some  highly  at- 
tractive young  ladies  performing  in  the  pantomime 
were  employed.  Lord  Dudley  gave  Mr.  Chatterton 
to  understand  that  though  he  was  willing  to  sell  the 
theatre,  of  which  he  saw  no  probability,  he  would 
not  under  any  circumstances  let  it  to  Mapleson  or 
any  other  man.  Hence  Chatterton  continued  to 
insist  on  his  stringent  conditions,  although  I  had 
been  his  tenant  for  some  eight  or  nine  years,  paying 
a  very  large  amount  of  rent  in  addition  to  cleaning 
and  carpeting  his  theatre  every  year,  which  was  very 
much  required  after  the  pantomime. 

On  learning,  in  a  direct  manner,  Lord  Dudley's 
decision,  I  saw  that  it  was  hopeless  to  approach 
him  in  the  character  of  a  tenant.  A  purchaser  I 
did  not  wish  to  be,  as  my  new  Opera-house,  it  was 
anticipated,  would  be  ready  for  opening  the  follow- 
ing spring.  All  I,  for  the  present,  desired  was  a 
theatre  where  I  could,  unmolested,  continue  my 
season.  I  therefore  made  offers  to  Lord  Dudley 
with  a  view  to  purchase,  at  the  same  time  explaining 
to  him  my  inability  to  pay  the  whole  of  the  amount 
he  then  demanded,  namely,  £30,000.  All  I  could  do 
was  to  give  him  a  deposit  of  £6,000  on  account,  and 
a  further  £6,000  in  the  following  November,  leaving 
£18,000  still  due,  with  a  clause,  in  case  of  any 
default  being  made  in  regard  to  the  second  instal- 
ment, by  which  the  first  was  to  be  forfeited.  To 
this  his  lordship  assented.  I  had  been  ready  to  pay 


192  THE  MAPLESON  MBM01M8. 

him  £7,000  as  rent  for  a  single  year,  but  this  he 
would  have  refused.  By  paying  an  instalment  of 
£6,000  I  saved  £1 ,000,  and  equally  obtained  the  use 
of  the  theatre.  In  due  course  the  matter  was  com- 
pleted. 

During  the  month  of  Febmary  I  entered  into 
possession.  There  was  not  a  single  seat  in  the  house, 
not  a  particle  of  paper  on  the  walls  ;  neither  a  bit  of 
carpet,  nor  a  chair,  nor  a  table  anywhere.  I  there- 
fore had  to  go  and  see  Blundell  Maple,  the  well-known 
upholsterer,  who,  out  of  regard  for  me  and  the  adver- 
tisement I  promised  him,  consented  to  give  me  a  few 
things  I  required  for  the  sum  of  £0,000.  It  involved 
the  furnishing  of  the  whole  of  the  dressing-rooms, 
the  auditorium,  and  corridors. 

About  four  miles  of  carpeting  were  required,  there 
being  so  many  staircases  and  passages,  all  of  which 
were  luxuriously  covered.  New  amber  satin  cur- 
tains, the  traditional  colour  of  the  house,  had  to  be 
manufactured  specially.  Stall  chairs,  appointments, 
fittings,  and  looking-glasses  were  also,  of  course, 
required.  A  room  had  to  be  built  through  solid 
masonry  for  the  Prince  of  Wales,  as  a  retiring- 
room.  In  fact,  it  was  a  very  heavy  affair ;  and 
on  my  inviting  a  few  friends  and  members  of  the 
Press  to  a  dinner  I  gave  at  my  club  some  two  days 
before  the  opening,  they  confessed  to  having  believed 
that  the  theatre  could  not  be  opened  for  two 
months.  Maple,  in  order  to  show  what  he  could 
do  in  a  short  space  of  time,  had  purposely  left  all 


ILLNESS  OF  TITJ ENS.  193 

to  the  last  day,  when  he  sent  in  some  200  work- 
men and  upholsterers,  together  with  about  300  girls 
and  carpet-sewers,  so  that  the  effect  was  really  like 
the  magic  of  Aladdin's  Palace.  The  theatre,  I  need 
scarcely  say,  was  finished  in  time,  and  gave  great 
satisfaction. 

The  new  theatre  opened  on  28th  April,  Titiens 
appearing  as  •*  Norma  ;  "  and  a  grand  performance 
it  was.  Sir  Michael  Costa  directed  the  orchestra, 
which  went  a  merveille. 

The  day  following  it  became  evident  that  the 
great  prima  donna  was  suffering  from  a  complaint 
which  caused  her  the  most  serious  inconvenience. 
The  next  evening  Mdlle.  Salla  appeared  with  some 
success  in  II  Trovatore.  On  the  succeeding  Satur- 
day, Mdine.  Christine  Nilsson  made  her  rentree  in  La 
Traviata;  but  immediately  afterwards  she  too  fell  ill. 

It  seemed  as  if  the  new  theatre  was  to  bring 
nothing  but  bad  luck,  as  it  since  has  done  to  all 
connected  with  it.  Mdlle.  Titiens,  however,  had  to 
make  an  effort,  and  she  appeared  again  the  next 
night  as  "  Norma,''  and  the  Saturday  afterwards  in 
the  Trovatore.  Meantime  Mdme.  Nilsson  recovered 
:md  reappeared  on  the  following  Thursday.  Mdlle. 
Titiens  was  sufficiently  well  to  appear  at  St. 
James's  Hall,  for  Mr.  Austin's  benefit,  at  which  she 
sang  superbly,  Mr.  Austin,  after  the  performance, 
assuring  me  that  he  had  never  before  heard  such 
magnificent  singing.  Mdlle.  Titiens  now  informed  me 
that  she  felt  considerably  better,  and  would  appear 

VOL.  I.  u 


194  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

on  the  following  Saturday,  19th  May,  as  "  Lucrezia 
Borgia,"  which  she  in  fact  did.  But,  as  the 
evening  progressed  she  felt  she  could  hardly  get 
through  the  opera.  Her  voice  was  in  its  fullest  per- 
fection; but  her  bodily  ailments  caused  her  acute 
agony,  and  it  was  not  until  some  time  after  the 
conclusion  of  the  opera  that  she  was  able  to  leave 
the  theatre. 

The  best  advice  was  sought  for,  and  it  was 
decided  by  the  lady  herself  that  the  operation, 
which  ultimately  caused  her  death,  should  be 
performed.  At  the  end  of  three  weeks,  having 
recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  operation,  as  she 
thought,  she  expressed  a  wish  to  return  to  her 
duties  at  the  theatre.  But,  alas  !  that  wish  was  never 
to  be  fulfilled,  and  I  had  to  go  through  the  season 
with  a  loss,  as  it  were,  of  my  right  hand. 

She  lived  on  in  hopes  of  being  able  to  recover, 
and  she  was  even  announced  to  appear  at  the 
usual  period  in  the  following  September.  But  as 
time  drew  on  it  was  clear  that  she  was  not  long  for 
this  world.  I  last  saw  her  on  the  29th  day  of 
September.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  follow- 
ing Wednesday,  October  3rd,  she  passed  away. 

I  continued  the  London  season  of  1877  as  best  I 
could  without  the  invaluable  services  of  Mdlle. 
Titiens,  although  from  time  to  time  we  had  formed 
hopes  of  her  reappearing.  I  again  brought  Mdme. 
Nilsson  to  the  front,  but  found  it  incumbent  on 
me  to  discover  a  new  planet,  as  Mdme.  Nilsson, 


GERSTER'S  HONEYMOON  POSTPONED.        195 

finding  she  was  alone  in  the  field,  became  some- 
what exacting.  At  last  I  found  one ;  but,  un- 
fortunately, she  was  just  on  the  point  of  being 
married, and  nothing  could  induce  herfuture  husband 
to  defer  the  ceremony.  However,  by  dint  of  perse- 
verance I  succeeded  in  persuading  him,  for  a  con- 
sideration, to  postpone  the  honeymoon  ;  and  in  addi- 
tion to  this  I  was  to  pay  a  very  large  extra  sum 
per  night,  while  his  wife's  appearances  were  strictly 
limited  to  two  each  week. 

About  this  time  a  great  deal  of  intrigue  was 
going  on  in  order  to  prevent  the  success  of  the  new 
star.  I,  however,  discovered  the  authors  of  it,  and 
worked  accordingly.  Thus  I  induced  several 
members  of  the  Press  to  attend  after  they  had  been 
positively  assured  that  she  was  not  worth  listening 
to.  JStldme.  Gerster's  success  was  really  instan- 
taneous, and  before  her  three  or  four  nights  were 
over  I  had  succeeded  in  again  postponing  the  honey- 
moon— still  for  a  consideration.  Her  success  went 
on  increasing  until  the  very  close  of  the  season, 
by  Vhich  time  her  receipts  fairly  balanced  those 
of  Mdme.  Nilsson. 

The  charges  for  postponing  the  honeymoon  were 
put  down  under  a  separate  heading  lest  they  should 
by  any  mistake  be  regarded  as  a  portion  of  the 
prima  donna's  salary  and  be  used  as  a  precedent  in 
connection  with  future  engagements.  At  last,  when 
several  large  payments  had  been  made,  the  season 
came  to  a  close,  and  the  young  couple,  after  several 


196  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

months'  marriage,  were  at  liberty  to  begin   their 
honeymoon. 

After  a  journey  through  Italy  and  Germany  in 
search  of  talent  I  returned  to  England,  when  I  found 
the  great  prima  donna's  case  was  hopeless.  Although 
it  had  been  fully  anticipated  that  she  would  make  her 
reappearance  in  Dublin,  she  being  in  fact  announced 
to  sing  there,  it  was,  unhappily,  decreed  other- 
wise; and  on  the  third  night  of  our  opening 
I  had  to  substitute  Mdlle.  Salla  in  //  Trovfitore,  in 
which  Titiens  had  been  originally  announced.  I 
received  early  that  day  (October  3,  1887)  a 
telegram  stating  that  she  was  no  more.  The  Irish 
publicon  hearing  the  sad  news  at  once  left  the  theatre. 
It  cast  a  gloom  over  the  entire  city,  as  it  did  through- 
out the  musical  world  generally.  A  grand  and  gifted 
artist,  an  estimable  woman,  had  disappeared  never 
to  be  replaced. 

After  visiting  several  of  the  principal  towns  I  re- 
turned to  London  and  reopened  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre,  reviving  various  operas  of  repute,  and  pro- 
ducing for  the  first  time  in  this  country  Ruy  Bias, 
which  met  with  considerable  success.  My  season 
terminated  on  the  22nd  of  December. 

At  Christmas  time  I  reopened  the  theatre  with  an 
admirable  ballet,  composed  expressly  by  Mdme. 
Katti  Lanner,  in  which  none  but  the  children  of 
my  National  Training  School  for  Dancing  took 
part.  I  afterwards  performed  a  series  of 
English  operas,  which  were  successful,  Sir  Julius 


PRODUCTION  OF  "CARMEN."  197 

Benedict  conducting1.  Concurrently  with  this  I  con- 
tinued my  regular  spring  concert  tour,  which  did  not 
terminate  until  the  middle  of  March. 

The  London  season  of  1878  opened  inauspiciously, 
the  loss  of  the  great  prima  donna  causing  a  cloud 
to  hang  over  the  theatre.  However,  Mdme.  Nilssou 
duly  arrived,  likewise  Mdme.  Gerster,  and  each  sang 
so  as  to  enhance  her  reputation. 

Prior  to  the  commencement  of  the  season  I  had 
heard  Bizet's  Carmen  in  Paris,  which  I  con- 
templated giving;  and  my  decision  was  at  once 
taken  on  hearing  from  Miss  Minnie  Hauk  of  the 
success  she  was  then  making  in  that  opera  at 
Brussels. 

I  therefore  resolved  upon  engaging  her  to  appear 
as  "Carmen."  In  distributing  the  parts  I  well  recol- 
lect the  difficulties  I  had  to  encounter.  On  sending 
Campanini  the  role  of  "  Don  Jose" "  (in  which  he 
afterwards  became  so  celebrated),  he  returned  it  to 
me  stating  he  would  do  anything  to  oblige,  but  could 
not  think  of  undertaking  a  part  in  an  opera  of  that 
description  where  he  had  no  romance  and  no  love 
duet  except  with  the  seconda  donna.  Shortly  after- 
wards Del  Puente,  the  baritone,  entered,  informing 
me  that  the  part  of  "  Escainillo,"  which  I  had  sent 
him,  must  have  been  intended  for  one  of  the  chorus, 
and  that  he  begged  to  decline  it. 

In  vain  did  Sir  Michael  Costa  order  the  rehearsals. 
There  was  always  some  trouble  with  the  singers  on 
account  of  the  small  parts  I  had  given  them.  Mdlle. 


198  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEMOIRS. 

Valleria  suggested  that  I  should  entrust  the  part  of 
"  Michaela  "  either  to  Bauermeister  or  to  one  of  the 
chorus  ;  as  on  no  account  would  she  undertake  it. 

This  went  on  for  some  time,  and  I  saw  but  little 
prospect  of  launching  my  projected  opera.  At 
length,  by  force  of  persuasion,  coupled  with  threats, 
I  induced  the  various  singers,  whether  they  accepted 
their  parts  or  not,  to  attend  a  general  rehearsal, 
when  they  all  began  to  take  a  great  fancy  to  the 
roles  I  had  given  them ;  and  in  due  course  the 
opera  was  announced  for  the  first  representation, 
which  took  place  on  the  22nd  June. 

The  receipts  for  the  first  two  or  three  per- 
formances were  most  miserable.  It  was,  in  fact,  a 
repetition  of  what  I  had  experienced  on  the  produc- 
tion of  Faust  in  18G3,  and  I  frankly  confess  that  I  was 
forced  to  resort  to  the  same  sort  of  expedients  for 
securing  an  enthusiastic  reception  and  thus  getting 
the  music  into  the  heads  of  the  British  public,  know- 
ing that  after  a  few  nights  the  opera  would  be  sure 
to  please.  In  this  I  was  not  mistaken,  and  I  closed 
my  season  with  flying  colours. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

FIRST  AMERICAN  CAMPAIGN — DIFFICULTIES  OF  EMBARKATION 
— CONCERT  ON  BOARD — DANGEROUS  ILLNESS  OF  GERSTER 
— OPERA  ON  WHEELS — "  THE  DRESSING-ROOM  Row  " — 
A  LEARNED  THROAT  DOCTOR — GERSTER  SINGS  BEFORE 
HER  JUDGE— THE  PIANOFORTE  WAR— OUR  HURRIED 
DEPARTURE. 

AT  the  end  of  the  season  I  went  abroad  to  com- 
plete my  Company  for  the  first  American  tour, 
which  was  to  begin  about  the  middle  of  October. 
I  started  my  Opera  Company  from  London  on 
the  31st  August  on  its  way  to  America,  number- 
ing some  140  persons,  including  Gerster,  Minnie 
Hauk,  Trebelli,  Valleria,  Campanini,  Frapolli, 
Galassi,  Del  Puente,  Foli,  etc.,  with  Arditi  as 
conductor.  This  also  comprised  a  magnificent 
chorus  of  some  60  selected  voices,  together  with 
the  whole  of  the  corps  de  ballet  and  principal 
dancers  ;  and  I  had  decided  to  give  some  three  or 
four  weeks'  performances  in  Ireland  prior  to  sailing, 
in  order  to  get  things  in  working  order,  as  well 


20C  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

as  to  recruit  the  exchequer  for  my  costly  enter- 
prise. Although  immense  success  attended  the 
appearance  of  my  new  singers  in  the  Irish  capital, 
they  were  not  sufficiently  known  to  draw  the  great 
houses  more  famous  artists  would  have  done. 
Etelka  Gerster  almost  drove  the  gods  crazy  with 
her  magnificent  singing;  but  as  she  was  totally 
unknown,  never  having  been  in  Ireland  before,  the 
receipts  were  not  commensurate  with  her  artistic 
success.  Minnie  Hauk,  again,  had  never  appeared 
in  that  country ;  nor  had  the  opera  of  Carmen 
been  heard,  its  very  name  seeming  to  be  unknown. 
However,  the  artistic  success  was  beyond  measure, 
and  the  representations,  moreover,  served  as  a  kind 
of  general  rehearsal  for  my  coming  performances  in 
America.  On  reaching  Cork  I  found  the  receipts 
were  again  below  what  they  ought  to  have  been, 
and  I  began  to  realize  that  in  lieu  of  increasing  my 
exchequer  prior  to  starting  for  America  I  ran  the 
chance  of  totally  exhausting  it. 

I  therefore  telegraphed  to  my  representative  in 
New  York  for  £2,000,  in  order  that  I  might 
straighten  up  my  position,  and  pay  the  balance  of 
our  passage  money,  the  boat  being  then  off  Queens- 
town. 

I  was  really  anxious  on  this  occasion,  and  it  was 
not  until  late  in  the  day  that  my  cable  arrived, 
notifying  to  me  that  the  money  was  at  my  credit  in 
the  Bank  of  Cork.  With  some  difficulty,  it  being 
after  banking  hours,  I  obtained  admittance,  when 


A  GENEROUS  SUBSCRIPTION.  201 

Jo  I  the  money  was  all  payable  in  Irish  notes. 
These  the  singers  pronounced  to  be  useless  for  their 
purpose  in  America.  They  absolutely  refused  to 
embark,  and  it  was  not  until  towards  evening  that 
I  was  enabled  with  great  difficulty  to  fa'nd  gold  at 
the  various  hotels  and  shops  in  exchange  for  my 
Irish  notes. 

At     length    we    departed    from     Queenstown ; 
though  it  was  late  in  the  evening  before  I  succeeded 
in  getting  the  last  squad  on  board.     Some  of  the 
Italian    choristers     had    been    assured     by    Irish 
humorists    that   the   streets   of   New    York    were 
infested  by  crocodiles  and  wild  Indians ;  and  these 
they  were  most  unwilling  to  encounter.     We  had  a 
splendid  passage  across.    The  day  before  our  arrival 
in  New  York  it  was  suggested  to  give  a  grand  concert 
in   aid  of   the  sufferers  by   the  yellow  fever  then 
raging  in  New  Orleans.     I  recollect  on  the  occasion 
of  the   concert   the   collection   made   amongst   the 
passengers  amounted    to    some    £3    or   £4.     One 
Western  gentleman  asked  me  particularly,    in  the 
presence  of  the  purser,  if  the  money  would  really 
be  devoted  to  the  relief  of  the  sufferers.     He,  more- 
over, demanded  that  Captain  Brooks,  the  officer  in 
command,  should  guarantee  that  the  money  would 
reach  them.     The  collection  was  made  by  those  two 
charming  young  pianists,  Mdlles.  Louise  and  Jeanne 
Douste,  and  by  the  equally  charming  young  dancer, 
Mdlle.  Marie  Muller;  and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  con- 
cert, in  which  he  had  encored  every  one  of  the  pieces, 


202  THE  AIAPLESON  MEMOIliS. 

the  careful  amateur  from  the  "West  gave  the  sum  of 
sixpence.  Gerster,  Minnie  Hauk,  Campanini,  and 
the  others  were  irate,  at  the  result  of  their  united 
labours  ;  and  as  they  thought  it  might  injure  them 
on  their  arrival  in  New  York,  were  the  public  to 
know  of  it,  they  privately  subscribed  £20  apiece  all 
round  to  make  the  return  look  a  little  decent. 

On  our  arrival  in  New  York  we  were  met  by 
thousands  of  people,  accompanied  by  military  bands, 
etc.,  and  although  I  had  left,  as  it  were,  a  winter 
behind  me,  we  landed  in  the  midst  of  a  glorious 
Indian  summer. 

I  set  about  making  my  preparations  for  the  open- 
ing of  my  season,  which  was  to  commence  on  the 
16th  October,  and  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  debut 
of  Madame  Etelka  Gerster,  who  since  our  arrival 
had  scarcely  been  her  usual  self.  This  I  attributed 
to  the  sea  voyage.  Two  days  before  the  opening  I 
gave  a  dinner,  to  which  I  invited  several  influential 
friends  including  members  of  the  New  York  Press. 
As  I  was  just  about  responding  to  the  toast  of  the 
evening,  wishing  health  to  Madame  Gerster  and 
success  to  the  Opera,  the  waiter  beckoned  me  to 
the  door,  whispering  that  a  gentleman  wanted  to 
speak  to  me  for  one  moment.  I  went  out,  when 
Dr.  Jacobi,  the  New  York  physician,  called  me  into 
an  adjoining  room,  where  the  eminent  specialist, 
Dr.  Lincoln,  was  waiting.  They  had  just  visited 
Madame  Gerster,  and  regretted  to  inform  me  that 
a  very  bad  attack  of  typhoid  fever  had  developed 


DANGEROUS  ILLNESS  OF  GEBSTER.        203 

itself,  and  that  consequently  there  would  be  no 
probability  of  her  appearing  the  following  Wednes- 
day, while  it  was  even  doubtful  in  their  minds  if 
she  would  survive.  She  was  in  a  very  bad  state. 

This  was  indeed  a  great  blow  to  me ;  but  I 
returned  to  the  room,  continued  my  speech,  and 
then  went  on  with  my  dinner  as  if  nothing  had 
happened. 

Making  it  a  point  never  to  think  of  business 
when  I  am  not  in  my  office,  I  decided  to  turn 
matters  over  the  following  morning,  which  was  the 
day  preceding  the  opening  of  the  house.  Being  so 
far  away,  it  would  be  impossible  to  replace  Mdme. 
Gerster.  I  thereupon  persuaded  Miss  Minnie  Hauk 
to  undertake  her  part  in  La  Traviata,  which  she 
did  with  success.  Del  Puente,  our  principal  baritone, 
refused,  however,  to  sing  the  part  of  the  father, 
in  consequence,  I  presume,  of  this  change. 

This  was  a  most  fortunate  thing  for  the  other 
baritone,  Galassi,  who  replaced  Del  Puente.  It 
virtually  made  his  fortune.  He  possessed  the 
ringing  quality  of  voice  the  Americans  are  so  fond 
of.  He  literally  brought  down  the  house  that 
evening.  I  cannot  recall  a  greater  success  at  any 
time,  and  henceforth  Galassi  became  one,  as  it 
were,  of  the  idols  of  the  American  public. 

I  opened  my  theatre  in  London  the  following 
night  with  a  very  powerful  Company,  Mdme. 
Pappenheim  making  her  debut  as  "  Fidelio  " ;  for 
I  was  now  working  concurrently  the  London  and 


204  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

the  New  York  Operas.  This  I  did  for  the  whole 
of  that  season,  closing  Her  Majesty's  Theatre  on  the 
21st  December,  though  the  American  "  Academy'* 
was  kept  open  beyond. 

Costumes,  properties,  and  even  singers,  were 
moved  to  and  fro  across  the  ocean  in  accordance 
with  my  New  York  and  London  requirements. 
Franceso,  who  was  ballet-master  on  both  sides  of  the 
Atlantic,  made  again  and  again  the  voyage  from 
New  York  to  Liverpool,  and  from  Liverpool  to  New 
York.  On  one  occasion  the  telegraph  played  me 
false.  I  had  wired  to  my  acting-manager  at  Her 
Majesty's  Theatre,  with  whom  I  was  in  daily  tele- 
graphic communication,  desiring  him  to  send  me 
over  at  once  a  "  2nd  tenor."  The  message  was 
inaccurately  deciphered,  and  out  came  "  2  tenors ;  " 
one  of  whom  was  kneeling  on  the  quay  at  New 
York  returning  thanks  for  his  safe  arrival,  when  I 
requested  him  to  re-embark  at  once,  as  otherwise  he 
would  not  be  back  at  Her  Majesty's  Theatre  by 
Monday  week  in  time  to  sing  the  part  of  "  Arturo  " 
in  the  Lucia,  for  which  he  was  already  announced. 

I  afterwards  produced  Carmen  at  the  Academy  of 
Music,  which  met  with  very  great  success,  as  like- 
wise did  Faust,  Don  Giovanni,  etc.  It  was  not  till 
the  8th  November  that  Mdrae.  Gerster  was  declared 
out  of  danger,  and  I  was  in  constant  attendance  upon 
her  until  the  18th  November,  when  she  appeared  as 
"Amina"  in  La  Sonnambula.  Her  success  was 
really  electric,  the  public  going  quite  wild  about  her. 


OPERA  ON  WHEELS.  205 

I  afterwards  produced  all  the  great  operas  I  had 
been  giving  in  London,  including  the  Magic  Flute, 
Talismano,  Robert  le  Viable,  etc.,  etc.,  my  season  con- 
tinuing without  intermission  some  six  months,  during 
which  time  I  visited  Boston,  where  public  breakfasts 
and  other  entertainments  were  given  to  my  singers. 
A  special  train  was  fitted  up  expressly  for  my  large 
Company,  and  all  the  carriages  elegantly  decorated. 
I  had  also  placed  at  my  disposal  by  the  Railroad 
Company  a  carriage  containing  writing-room,  draw- 
ing-room, bedrooms,  and  kitchen  stocked  with  wines 
and  provisions,  under  the  direction  of  a  chef. 

Whilst  at  Boston  I  had  the  honour  of  making  the 
acquaintance  of  Longfellow,  who,  being  anxious  to 
hear  Mdme.  Gerster,  occupied  my  box  one  evening, 
the  attention  of  the  audience  being  very  much 
divided  between  its  occupant  and  Mdme.  Gerster, 
who  on  that  occasion  was  singing  **  Elvira"  in 

o       o 

I  Puritani.  He  likewise  attended  the  final  morning 
performance,  which  took  place  on  the  last  Saturday 
of  our  engagement,  when  Gerster's  receipts  for 
"Lucia"  reached  no  less  than  £1,400.  We  left 
that  evening  for  Chicago,  a  distanca  of  some  1,100 
miles,  arriving  in  that  city  just  in  time  to  comme.ice 
the  opera  the  following  Monday,  when  Gerster 
appeared  and  created  an  excitement  only  equalled 
by  that  of  Jenny  Lind.  I  recollect,  by-the-bye, 
an  amusing  incident  that  occurred  the  second 
night,  on  the  occasion  of  the  performance  of  Le 
Nozze  di  Figaro. 


203  THE  MAPLESON  MRM01KS. 

On  the  right  and  left-hand  sides  of  the  proscenium 
were  two  dressing-rooms  alike  in  every  respect. 
Madame  Gerster,  however,  selected  the  one  on 
the  right-hand  side,  which  at  once  gave  the  room 
the  appellation  of  the  prima  donna's  room.  On 
the  following  evening  Le  Nozze  di  Figaro  was  to 
be  performed,  in  which  Marie  Roze  was  to  take  the 
part  of  "  Susanna,"  and  Minnie  Hauk  that  of 
"  Cherubino."  In  order  to  secure  the  prima 
donna's  room  Minnie  Hauk  went  to  the  theatre  with 
her  maid  as  early  as  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
and  placed  her  dresses  in  it,  also  her  theatrical 
trunk. 

At  four  o'clock  Marie  Roze's  maid,  thinking  to 
be  the  first  in  the  field,  arrived  for  the  purpose  of 
placing  Marie  Roze's  dresses  and  theatre  trunks  in 
the  coveted  apartment.  Finding  the  Toom  already 
occupied,  she  mentioned  it  to  Marie's  husband,  who 
with  a  couple  of  stage  men  speedily  removed  the 
trunks  and  dresses,  put  them  in  the  room  opposite, 
and  replaced  them  by  Marie's.  He  then  went  back 
to  his  hotel,  desiring  Marie  to  be  at  the  theatre  as 
early  as  six  o'clock. 

At  about  5.30  Minnie  Hauk's  agent  passed  by 
to  see  if  all  was  in  order  and  found  Marie  Roze's 
theatrical  box  and  costumes  where  Minnie  Hauk's 
were  supposed  to  be.  He  consequently  ordered 
the  removal  of  Marie  Roze's  dresses  and  trunk, 
replaced  those  of  Minnie  II  auk,  and  affixed  to  the 
door  a  padlock  which  he  had  brought  with  him. 


THE  DRESSING-BOOM  BOW.  207 

Punctually  at  six  o'clock  Marie  Roze  arrived,  and 
found  the  door  locked.  By  the  aid  of  a  locksmith 
the  door  was  again  opened,  and  Minnie  Hauk's 
things  again  removed  to  the  opposite  room,  whilst 
Marie  Roze  proceeded  to  dress  herself  in  the  "  prima 
donna's  room." 

At  6.30  Minnie  Hauk,  wishing  to  steal  a  march  on 
her  rival,  came  to  dress,  and  found  the  room  occu- 
pied. She  immediately  returned  to  Palmer  House, 
where  she  resided,  declaring  she  would  not  sing  that 
evening. 

All  persuasion  was  useless.  I  therefore  had  to 
commence  the  opera  minus  "Cherubino;"  and  it 
was  not  until  the  middle  of  the  second  act,  after 
considerable  persuasion  by  my  lawyers,  that  Minnie 
Hauk  appeared  on  the  stage.  This  incident  was 
taken  up  th'roughout  the  whole  of  America,  an<;l 
correspondence  about  it  extended  over  several 
weeks.  Pictures  were  published,  also  diagrams, 
setting  forth  fully  the  position  of  the  trunks  and 
the  dressing-rooms.  The  affair  is  known  to  this 
day  as  "  The  great  dressing-room  disturbance." 

During  all  this  visit  to  Chicago  there  was  one 
unbroken  line  of  intending  buyers  waiting  to 
secure  tickets  at  the  box  office ;  and  frequently  I 
had  to  pay  as  much  as  twenty  dollars  for  wood 
consumed  during  the  night  to  keep  the  purchasers 
warm. 

About  the  middle  of  the  second  week  I  produced 
Bellini's  Puritani,  with  Gerster  as  "  Elvira,''  Cam- 


203  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

panini  as  "  Arturo,'*  Galassi  as  "  Riccardo,"  and 
Foli  as  "Giorgio."  On  this  occasion  the  house 
was  so  crowded  that  the  outer  walls  began  to  crack, 
and  in  the  managerial  room,  in  which  I  was  working, 
T  could  put  my  hand  through  one  of  the  corners 
where  the  two  walls  met.  T  communicated  with  Carter 
Harrison,  who  was  then  Mayor.  He  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  the  theatre,  and,  without  creating  any 
alarm,  and  under  the  pretext  that  the  house  was  too 
full,  caused  upwards  of  a  thousand  people  to  leave  the 
building.  So  pleased  were  they  with  the  performance 
that  they  all  refused  to  have  their  money  returned. 
We  .terminated  one  of  the  most  successful  Chicago 

o 

seasons  on  record,  and  the  Company  started  the 
following  morning  for  St.  Louis.  As  I  was  suffer- 
ing from  a  sharp  attack  of  gout  I  had  to  be  left 
behind,  and  but  for  the  kindness  of  Lord  Algernon 
Lennox  (who  had  acted  as  my  aide-de-camp  at  one 
of  our  Easter  sham-fights)  and  Colonel  Vivian  I  do 
not  know  what  I  should  have  done.  Both  these 
gentlemen  remained  in  the  hotel  with  me,  inter- 
rupting their  journey  to  do  me  this  act  of  kindness, 
for  which  I  felt  very  grateful. 

On  the  Company's  arriving  at  St.  Louis,  Mdme. 
Gerster  declared  her  inability  to  sing  the  opera  of 
Lucia  that  evening.  My  son  Henry,  who  had 
charge  of  the  Company  until  I  could  rejoin  it,  ex- 
plained to  madame  that  it  would  be  necessary  to 
have  a  medical  certificate  to  place  before  the  public. 
Mdme.  Gerster  replied  she  was  too  honourable  aii 


A  LEARNED  THROAT  DOCTOR.  209 

artist  to  require  such  a  thing,  and  that  when  she  said 
she  was  ill,  she  was  ill.  My  son,  however,  brought 
in  a  doctor,  who  insisted  upon  seeing  her  tongue. 
She  merely,  in  derision,  said,  "  There  1  " — rapidly 
putting  it  out  as  she  left  the  room.  The  doctor 
immediately  put  on  his  spectacles,  and  proceeded  to 
write  his  certificate,  saying  that  there  was  a  little 
irritation  in  the  epiglottis,  that  the  uvula  was  con- 
tracted, together  with  the  muscles  of  the  throat,  and 
that  the  tonsils  were  inflamed.  On  Mdme.  Gerster's 
husband  showing  the  certificate  to  his  wife  she  got 
so  angry  that  she  insisted  upon  singing — just  to  show 
what  an  "  ass  "  the  doctor  was.  Of  course,  this 
answered  my  purpose  very  well,  and  my  large 
receipts  were  saved. 

On  leaving  the  hotel  at  the  end  of  that  week  the 
eminent  physician  presented  Mdme.  Gerster  with  a 
bill  of  $60  for  medical  attendance.  This,  of  course, 
she  resisted;  and  she  gave  bonds  for  her  appear- 
ance when  called  upon,  in  order  to  save  her  trunks 
from  seizure,  which  the  M.D.  had  threatened. 

Whilst  T  am  on  this  subject,  I  may  as  well  inform 
the  reader  that  two  years  afterwards  when  we  visited 
St.  Louis  the  matter  was  brought  before  the  Court. 
Feeling  sure  that  this  attempt  at  extortion  would  not 
be  allowed,  and  that  the  Court  proceedings  would  be 
of  very  short  duration,  I  attended  at  nine  o'clock, 
the  hour  set  down  for  trial,  leaving  word  that  I 
should  be  home  at  about  half-past  ten  to  breakfast. 
It  was  not  until  eleven  that  I  was  called  up  to  the 

VOL,     I.  P 


210  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

witness-stand.  On  my  mentioning  to  my  counsel 
that  I  felt  very  faint,  as  I  had  not  yet  eaten  any- 
thing, he  repeated  it  to  the  judge,  who  at  once 
adjourned  the  Court  in  order  that  I  might  have  my 
breakfast.  He  enjoined  me  not  to  lose  too  much 
time  in  "  mastication,"  and  ordered  the  reassembly  of 
•the  Court  at  half-past  eleven.  On  my  return  ray 
evidence  was  duly  given;  but  when  the  defendant, 
jEtelka  Gerster,  was  summoned,  the  call-boy  from  the 
theatre  appeared,  stating  to  the  judge  that  as  she 
tad  to  sing  "  Lucia  "  that  night,  and  was  not  very 
tt'el],  it  would  jeopardize  the  whole  performance  if 
she  left  the  hotel. 

His  honour,  thereupon,  considerately  ordered  the 
Court  to  adjourn  to  Mdme.  Gerster's  rooms  at  the 
Lindell  House,  where  the  trial  could  be  resumed. 
On  our  arrival  there  counsel  and  others  amused 
themselves  by  looking  at  various  pictures  until  the 
prima  donna  appeared,  accompanied  by  her  two 
clogs,  her  birds,  «tc.,  when  the  judge  entered 
into  conversation  with  her  on  musical  matters. 
Later  on  his  honour  solicited  Mdme.  Gerster  to 
kindly  sing  him  a  song,  especially  the  "  Last  Rose 
of  Summer,"  which  he  was  very  partial  to,  being 
from  the  Emerald  Isle.  At  the  close  of  the  per- 
formance he  thought  it  was  useless  troubling  Mdme. 
Gerster  to  go  further  into  the  case,  which  was  at 
once  decided  in  her  favour. 

Talking  of  law,  I  may  mention  another  lawsuit 
in  which  I  was  concerned. 


ENTER  SHERIFFS.  211 

Whilst  in  Boston  in  January,  1879,  Mdme. 
Parocli,  wlio  lived  in  an  hotel  close  by  the  theatre, 
had  need  of  medical  attendance,  and  the  theatrical 
doctor,  who  had  the  entree  to  the  house,  was  naturally 
selected  to  see  what  the  matter  was.  He  prescribed 
a  gargle  for  Mdme.  Parodi;  and  Mdlle.  Lido,  who 
had  been  attending  on  the  patient,  having  shown 
the  doctor  her  tongue  as  he  went  out,  he  merely 
said  "  You  want  a  little  Friedrichshall,"  and  left  the 
room. 

Nothing  more  was  heard  of  the  matter  until 
January,  1880,  when,  as  I  was  seated  at  the  break- 
fast table  in  the  hotel  with  my  wife  and  family,  two 
Deputy-Sheriffs  forced  their  way  unannounced  into 
the  room  to  arrest  me  for  the  sum  of  30  dollars, 
which  the  doctor  claimed  as  his  fee.  This  was  the 
first  intimation  I  had  had  of  any  kind,  and  it  was 
afterwards  shown  in  evidence  that  the  doctor  had 
debited  Parodi  and  Lido  in  his  day-book  separately 
with  the  amount  which  he  also  charged  to  them 
collectively.  Finding  that  both  ladies  had  left  the 
city  he  thought  it  better  to  charge  the  attendance  to 
me.  Rather  than  be  arrested,  I  of  course  paid  the 
money,  but  under  protest. 

The  next  day  I  commenced  proceedings  against 
the  doctor,  as  well  as  the  Sheriff,  for  the  return  of 
my  money,  which  I  contended  had  been  handed  over 
under  duress,  and  was  not  a  voluntary  payment  on 
my  part.  The  doctor's  counsel  contended  on  the 
other  Lund — first,  that  I  had  derived  benefit  from 


212  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEMOIRS. 

the  treatment  he  had  given  these  ladies ;  secondly, 
that  I  was  liable.  In  due  course  the  matter  went 
to  trial,  and  was  heard  by  Judge  Parmenter  in 
the  Municipal  Civil  Court  at  Boston.  ,  It  was 
proved  that  the  doctor  was  the  regular  physician  to 
the  Boston  Theatre,  and  that  in  consideration  of 
free  entrance  he  attended  without  fee  members  of 
the  Company  who  played  there.  The  Judge,  after 
commenting  on  the  testimony,  decided  the  matter 
in  my  favour.  I  was,  however,  baulked  of  both 
money  and  costs  ;  for  the  same  afternoon  the  doctor 
went  home  and  died. 

On  my  return  to  New  York  for  the  spring  opera 
season  I  produced  Dinorah,  in  which  iMdme.  Gerster 
again  achieved  a  triumph.  The  business  went  on  in- 
creasing. About  this  time  a  meeting  of  the  stock- 
holders of  the  Academy  of  Music  was  convened,  and 
I  ultimately  signed  a  new  lease  for  three  more  years, 
commencing  October  20th  following. 

During  my  first  sojourn  in  America  I  gave  164 
performances  of  opera,  likewise  47  concerts. 
Concurrently  with  this  I  gave  135  operatic  per- 
formances and  48  concerts  in  England.  The 
season  in  New  York  extended  from  October  16th 
to  December  28th,  1878,  also  from  February 
29th  to  April  5th,  1879.  At  Boston  the  season 
lasted  from  December  30th,  1878,  to  January  llth, 
1879;  at  Chicago  from  January  13th  to  25th;  at 
St.  Louis  from  January  27th  to  February  1st ;  at 
Cincinnati  from  February  3rd  to  8th ;  at  Piula- 


DISASTROUS  FLOODS.  213 

delphia  10th  to  18th,  at  Baltimore  and  Washington 
19th  to  25th.  During  this  period  Lucia  was  per- 
formed twenty  times,  Sonnambula  nineteen  times, 
Carmen  twenty-six  times,  Faust  sixteen  times,  Tro- 
vatore  nine  times,  Flauto  Magico  eight  times,  Part- 
lani  eight  times,  Nozze  di  Figaro  seven  times, 
Rigoletto  five  times,  Don  Giovanni  five  times, 
Traviata  four  times,  Lohengrin  ten  times,  Barbfere 
twice,  Ruy  Bias  twice,  Dinorah  twice,  Talisinano 
ten  times,  Robert  le  Diable  twice,  Huguenots  six 
times,  Freiscliufz  three  times ;  making  altogether 
twenty-four  morning  performances  and  one  hundred 
and  forty  evening  performances. 

About  this  time  the  disastrous  floods  took  place  at 
Szegedin,  in  Hungary.  This  being  Mdme.  Gerster's 
birth-place  I  proposed  a  grand  benefit  concert  for  the 
sufferers,  in  which  my  prima  donna  at  once  joined. 
By  our  united  efforts  we  raised  about  £800,  which 
was  remitted  by  cable  to  the  place  of  disaster  within 
five  days  of  its  occurrence,  much  (I  need  scarcely 
add)  to  the  relief  of  many  of  the  sufferers. 

My  benefit,  which  was  fixed  for  the  last  night  of 
the  season,  took  place  on  Fridaj^,  April  4th.  At 
quite  an  early  hour  crowds  collected  right  down 
Fourteenth  Street  and  Irving  Place,  and  within  a 
very  short  time  every  square  inch  of  available  room 
in  the  house  was  occupied.  The  enthusiasm  of  the 
auditors  was  immeasurable,  and  they  began  10  show 
it  as  soon  as  the  performance  opened.  The  repre- 
sentation consisted  of  the  third  act  of  the  Talisman, 
with  Mdme.  Gerster  as  "Edith  Plantaganet,"  and 


214  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Campanini  as  "  Sir  Kenneth ; "  followed  by  the 
fourth  act  of  Favoritat  in  which  Mdme.  Marie  Roze 
undertook  the  rdle  of  "  Leonora ;  "  and  concluding 
with  an  act  of  La  Traiiata,  with  Mdme.  Gerster 
as  "  Violetta."  Mdme.  Gerster's  performance  was 
listened  to  with  the  deepest  attention,  and  rewarded 
at  the  end  with  enthusiastic?  cheers.  Mdme.  Gerster 
afterwards  came  out  three  times,  but  her  courtesies 
were  of  no  avail  in  quieting  the  multitude.  It  was 
necessary,  at  the  demand  of  the  public,  to  raise  the 
curtain  and  repeat  the  entire  act.  Then  nothing 
would  satisfy  the  audience  but  my  appearance  on 
the  stage  ;  when  I  thanked  the  ladies  and  gentlemen 
present  for  their  support,  notifying,  moreover,  that, 
encouraged  by  my  success,  I  should  return  to 
them  the  next  autumn.  This  little  speech  was 
vehemently  applauded,  especially  the  references  I 
made  to  the  singers  and  to  the  conductor,  who,  I 
promised,  would  come  back  with  me. 

During  our  etay  in  New  York  we  were  supplied 
with  pianos  both  for  the  artists  individually  as  well 
as  for  use  at  the  theatre  by  Messrs.  Steinway  and 
Sons  ;  and  before  we  left  the  following  flattering  but 
just  letter  of  compliment  and  of  thanks  was 
addressed  to  the  firm  : — 

"  Academy  of  Music,  New  York, 

"  December  28,  1878. 
"GENTLEMEN, 

"  Having  used  your  pianos  in  public  and 
private  during  the  present  Opera  season  we  desire 
to  express  our  unqualified  admiration  of  their 


THE  PIANOFORTE   WAR.  215 

sonority,  evenness,  richness,  and  astonishing  dura- 
tion of  tone,  most  beautifully  blending  with  and 
supporting  the  voice.  These  matchless  qualities, 
together  with  the  precision  of  action,  in  our 
opinion,  render  the  Stein  way  pianos,  above  all 
others,  the  most  desirable  instruments  for  the 
public  generally. 

"(Signed)      ETELKA.     GERSTEB,     MARIB     ROZE, 
MINNIE  HACK,  C.   SINICO,  CASI- 

PAN1NI,    FttAPOLLI,    GALASSI,  FoLI, 

DEL  PCENTE,  Am  m." 

Messrs.  Steinway  now  offered  and  undertook  to 
supply  each  leading  member  of  the  Company  with 
pianos  in  whatever  town  we  might  visit  throughout 
the  United  States. 

On  our  arrival  in  Philadelphia  I  was  surprised  to 
find  that  every  artist  in  the  Company  had  had  a 
magnificent  Steiuway  placed  in  his  or  her  bedroom; 
this  in  addition  to  the  pianos  required  at  the  theatre. 
But  while  the  Company  were  dining,  a  rival  piano- 
forte maker,  who  had  shown  himself  keenly  desirous 
of  the  honour  of  supplying  us  with  instruments, 
invaded  the  different  bedrooms  and  placed  the  Stein- 
way  pianos  outside  the  doors,  substituting  for  them 
pianos  made  by  his  own  firm — that  of  Weber  and 
Co.  The  Webers,  however,  were  ultimately  put 
outside  and  the  Steinways  replaced. 

Shortly  afterwards  a  pitched  battle  took  place 
in  the  corridors  between  the  men  employed  by  the 


216  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

rival  firms,  when  the  Weber  men,  being  a  more 
sturdy  lot,  entirely  defeated  the  Steinway  men  and 
ejected  them  bodily  from  the  hotel.  The  weapons 
used  on  this  occasion  were  piano  legs,  unscrewed 
from  the  bodies  of  the  instruments. 

Not  only  did  physical  force  triumph,  but  the 
superior  strength  exhibited  by  the  Weber  side  was 
afterwards  supplemented  by  cunning.  That  very 
night  Weber  gave  a  grand  supper  to  the  whole  of 
my  Company,  and  I  was  at  once  astonished  and 
amused  the  next  day  to  find  that  a  new  certificate 
had  been  signed  by  them  all  stating  that  Weber's 
pianos  were  the  bost  they  had  ever  known.  A 
paper  to  that  effect  had  been  passed  round  after 
sundry  bottles  of  "  Extra  Dry,*'  and  signatures 
appended  as  a  matter  of  course. 

Such  was  the  impartiality  of  my  singers  that 
they  afterwards  signed  on  behalf  of  yet  a  third 
pianoforte  maker,  named  Haines. 

In  accordance  with  numerous  solicitations,  I 
agreed  to  give  a  Farewell  matinee  the  next  day.  But 
the  steamer  had  to  sail  for  Europe  at  two  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon ;  and  this  rendered  it  necessary  that  my 
morning  performance  should  commence  at  half-past 
eleven,  the  box-office  opening  at  eight.  In  the  course 
of  a  couple  of  hours  every  seat  was  sold.  Towards 
the  close  of  the  performance,  Arditi,  the  conductor, 
got  very  anxious,  and  kept  looking  up  at  ray  box.  It 
was  now  half-past  one,  Madame  Gerster's  rondo 
finale  in  La  Sonnambula  had  absolutely  to  be 


OUR   HURRIED   DEPARTURE,  217 

repeated,  or  there  would  have  been  a  riot ;  and  we 
were  some  three  miles  distant  from  the  steamer 
which  was  to  convey  us  all  to  Europe. 

At  length,  to  my  relief,  the  curtain  fell ;  but  the 
noise  increased,  and  I  had  again  to  show  myself, 
while  Arditi  and  the  principal  singers  and  chorus 
took  their  departure,  Signer  Foli,  with  his  long 
strides,  arriving  first.  I  afterwards  hastened  down 
in  a  carriage  I  had  expressly  retained.  As  the 
chorus  had  scarcely  time  to  change  their  dresses, 
many  of  them  rushed  down  as  best  they  could  in 
their  theatrical  attire,  followed  by  a  good  portion  of 
the  audience,  who  were  anxious  to  get  a  last  glimpse 
of  us  all. 

Arriving  on  board  the  Tnman  steamer  City  of 
Chester,  I  found  it  crowded  with  personal  friends, 
many  of  whom  had  been  there  at  least  an  hour. 
Hearty  embraces  were  exchanged  by  the  men  as 
well  as  the  women,  and  numerous  bottles  of 
champagne  were  emptied  to  fill  the  parting  cups. 
The  cabins  of  the  steamer  were  literally  piled  up 
with  flowers.  Trunks  and  boxes  containing  the 
wardrobe  of  the  morning  performance  were  lugged 
on  board. 

"  All  ashore  1  "  shouted  the  captain.  Prior  to  my 
arrival,  the  bell  had  rung  for  the  seventh  and 
positively  last  time.  The  steamer's  officers  now 
urged  all  but  passengers  to  get  on  shore,  and 
hinted  at  the  probability  of  some  of  them  being 
inadvertently  carried  over  to  Europe.  The 


218  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

women  hurried  back  to  escape  that  dreadful 
fate. 

Ole  Bull,  whom  I  had  invited  to  go  to  Europe 
with  me,  darted  across  the  gang-plank  carry- 
ing his  fiddle  in  a  box.  The  whistle  then  blew,  and 
the  bell  rang  for  the  eighth  and  now  absolutely  last 
time.  At  length  the  steamer  took  her  departure.  A 
band  of  music  on  the  wharf  had  been  playing  lively 
airs,  to  which  my  chorus  responded  by  singing  the 
grand  prayer  from  /  Lornbardi. 

To  my  dismay,  I  discovered  that  the  priraa  donna 
had  been  left  behind ;  also  the  property-master, 
the  ladies'  costumier,  one  of  the  ballet,  and  five 
of  the  chorus.  The  latter  had  nothing  with  them 
but  the  theatrical  costumes  they  carried  on  their 
bodies.  They  had  previously  sent  all  their  worldly 
belongings  on  board  the  ship,  and  we  now  saw 
them  gesticulating  wildly  on  the  quay  as  we  passed 
down  the  bay.  They  were  treated  very  kindly  after 
our  departure ;  ordinary  day  clothes  were  provided 
for  them,  and  they  were  sent  over  by  the  next 
steamer. 

On  entering  my  cabin  I  found  a  silver  e*pergne, 
a  diamond  collar-stud,  any  quantity  of  literature, 
several  boxes  of  cigars,  bottles  of  brandy,  etc., 
which  had  been  left  anonymously;  also  an  immense 
basket  of  fruit.  There  were,  moreover,  two  large 
set-pieces  of  flowers  in  the  form  of  horse- shoes  that 
had  been  sent  me  from  Boston,  likewise  a  basket  of 


GOOD-BYE.  219 

• 

rose-buds,  lilies,  and  violets,   and  an  embroidered 
table-cover. 

A  few  minutes  later,  a  tug  carrying  a  large 
American  flag  at  the  side  of  an  English  one 
steamed  up  to  the  pier  and  took  on  board  a  number 
of  ladies  and  gentlemen  who,  accompanied  by  an 
orchestra,  followed  the  steamer  down  the  bay,  giving 
the  Company  a  farewell  ovation  of  cheering  as  the 
vessel  passed  the  Narrows  and  crot  out  to  sea. 


XV. 

RECEPTION  o»  A  TENOR — BEI.OCCA  AND  LADY  SPENCER 
— MARIMON'S  SUPERSTITIONS — HER  LOVESICK  MAID — 
Aw  ENCOURAGING  TELEGRAM  —  MARIMON  is  TIIE 
CATHEDRAL — DISAPPEARANCE  OP  A  TENOR. 

FOR  ray  London  season  of  1879,  in  addition  to 
Gerster,  who  was  already  a  prime  favourite,  Marie 
van  Zandt,  Clara  Louise  Kellogg,  Minnie  Hauk, 
Ambrd,  Marie  Roze,  Caroline  Salla,  Helene  Cros- 
raond,  Trobelli,  Nilsson,  etc.,  I  engaged  Fancelli, 
Brignoli,  Frapolli,  and  Campanini.  I  moreover 
concluded  an  engagement  with  Signor  Masini,  the 
renowned  tenor,  who  shortly  afterwards  arrived  in 
London.  I  was  informed  the  following  morning  by 
his  agent  that  he  felt  very  much  hurt  that  I  myself, 
Sir  Michael  Costa,  and  some  of  the  leading  artists 
of  the  theatre  had  not  met  him  at  the  station ;  the 
agent  kindly  adding  that  "  If  I  would  come  round 
to  his  hotel  with  Costa  he  might  put  the  thing 
straight/* 

I  told  him  we  were  too  busy  to  do  anything  of 


RECEPTION  OF  A  TENOR.  221 

the  kind,  but  that  I  should  expect  Signer  Masini  to 
call  on  me,  when  I  would  present  him  to  Sir  Michael 
Costa. 

We  were  within  two  days  of  his  announced  ap- 
pearance, and  I  had  not  yet  seen  him.  That  after- 
noon the  agent,  who  was  very  anxious  to  keep 
things  plecisant,  rushed  in  to  tell  me  that  Masini 
was  passing  along  the  colonnade  outside  the  theatre 
smoking  a  cigar,  and  that  if  I  went  out  quiokly  with 
Costa  we  might  meet  him,  and  so  put  an  end  to  all 
difficulties.  I  told  him  I  was  too  busy,  and  that  he 
had  better  bring  Masini  into  my  office.  The  signor 
at  length  appeared,  and  in  very  few  words  asked  me 
in  what  opera  he  was  to  make  his  debut.  I  told 
him  he  had  already  been  announced  to  appear  as 
"Faust,"  in  accordance  with  his  engagement;  to 
which  he  replied  that  he  should  like  to  know  who 
the  other  singers  were  to  be.  I  told  him  that 
Christine  Nilsson  would  be  "  Margherita,"  Trebelli 
"  Siebel,"  and  Faure  "  Mephistopheles,"  and  that  I 
trusted  this  distribution  of  parts  would  suit  him. 
He  was  good  enough  to  say  that  he  would  have  no 
objection  to  sing  with  the  artists  I  had  named.  He 
then  left. 

A  few  minutes  afterwards  Sir  Michael  Costa 
entered  the  room,  and  I  told  him  what  had  happened. 
He  ordered  a  rehearsal  for  the  following  morning  at 
twelve  o'clock  for  all  the  artists.  Nilsson,  Faure, 
and  Trebelli  were  punctually  at  the  theatre,  but  not 
Masini ;  and  just  as  the  rehearsal  was  being  dis- 


222  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

missed  in  consequence  of  the  tenor's  non-attend- 
ance his  agent  appeared  with  the  suggestion  that 
a  rehearsal  was  not  necessary.  If  Sir  Michael 
Costa  would  step  round  to  the  hotel  Masini,  said 
the  envoy,  would  show  him  the  tempi  he  wished  tc 
be  observed  in  his  performance  of  the  part  of 
"Faust."  Sir  Michael  Costa  left  the  room,  and 
never  afterwards  made  the  least  reference  to  this 
audacious  proposition. 

On  going  round  to  Masini's  hotel  the  next  morn- 
ing to  see  how  he  was  getting  on — for  he  was  to 
perform  that  evening — I  was  informed  that  the 
previous  night  he  had  taken  flight,  and  that  he  was 
now  on  his  way  back  to  Italy. 

I  afterwards  heard  that  an  influential  friend  of 
Masini's  at  the  Italian  Embassy  had  frightened  him 
by  saying  that  Sir  Michael  Costa  was  a  man  of  con- 
siderable importance,  who  was  not  to  be  trifled 
with,  and  who  would  probably  resent  such  liberties 
as  Masini  had  attempted  to  take  with  him. 

Masini's  flight  put  me  to  considerable  incon- 
venience. I  followed  him  up  on  the  Continent, 
harassing  him  in  every  city  where  he  attempted  to 
play ;  though  I  ultimately  let  him  off  on  his  paying 
my  costs,  which  came  to  some  £200. 

The  fact  of  Signor  Masini's  asking  Sir  Michael 
Costa  to  come  round  to  his  hotel  in  order  to  hear 
the  tempi  at  which  the  arrogant  tenor  liked  his  airs 
to  be  accompanied,  must  have  taken  my  readers  by 
surprise.  But  in  Italy,  I  regret  to  say,  the  practice 


TEACHING   COSTA   TO  BEAT  TIME.          223 

is  only  too  common  for  singers  to  treat  conductors 
as  though  they  were  not  their  directors,  but  their 
subordinates.  A  popular  tenor  or  prima  donna 
receives  a  much  larger  salary  than  an  ordinary  con- 
ductor— or  for  that  matter  a  first-rate  one;  and  a 
favourite  vocalist  at  the  end  of  the  season  often 
makes  a  present  to  the  maestro  to  reward  him  for 
not  having  objected  to  some  effective  note  or 
cadenza  which  is  out  of  place,  but  which  the 
"artist "  is  in  the  habit  of  introducing  with  a  view 
to  some  special  effect.  In  his  own  country  it  would 
have  been  nothing  extraordinary  for  a  tenor  so 
eminent  as  Signor  Masini  to  ask  the  conductor  to 
step  in  and  learn  from  him.  how  the  different  tempi 
should  be  taken. 

On  one  occasion  a  renowned  priraa  donna  about 
to  make  her  first  appearance  in  England  took  the 
liberty  of  enclosing  to  Sir  Michael  Costa  with  her 
compliments  a  hundred-pound  note.  The  meaning 
of  this  was  that  she  wished  to  be  on  good  terms 
with  the  conductor  in  order  that  he  might  not  cut 
her  short  in  any  little  embellishments,  any  slackening 
or  hastening  of  the  time,  in  which  she  might  think 
fit  to  indulge.  On  receiving  the  note  Sir  Michael 
Costa  requested  the  manager  to  return  it  to  the 
singer,  and  at  the  same  time  declared  that  he  or 
the  offending  vocalist  must  leave  the  Company. 
Needless  to  say  that  it  was  not  the  conductor  who 
left. 

Another  remark  as  to  Signor  Masini's  having  ex- 


224  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

pected  that  Sir  Michael  Costa,  myself,  and  all  the 
leading  members  of  the  Company  would  meet  him  at 
the  railway  station  on  his  arrival  in  London.  This 
sort  of  thing  is  not  uncommon  with  artists  of 
rank,  and  when  Mdme.  Patti  comes  to  London  a 
regular  "  call  "  is  sent  to  the  various  members  of  the 
Company  directing  them,  as  a  matter  of  duty,  to 
be  at  the  station  at  such  an  hour. 

A  good  many  artists,  on  the  other  hand,  have  a 
strong  preference  for  not  being  met  at  the  station. 
They  travel  third-class  and  in  costumes  by  no  means 
fair  to  see. 

Costa  would  have  been  horrified  at  the  way  in 
which  operatic  enterprises  are  now  too  frequently 
conducted — especially,  I  mean,  in  a  musical  point 
of  view ;  works  hurriedly  produced,  and  in  some 
cases  without  a  single  complete  rehearsal.  Often, 
no  doubt,  the  prirna  donna  (if  sufficiently  dis- 
tinguished to  be  allowed  to  give  herself  airs)  is  in 
fault  for  the  insufficient  rehearsals  or  for  rehearsals 
being  altogether  dispensed  with.  When  such 
singers  as  Mdme.  Patti  and  Mdme.  Nilsson  stipulate 
that  "  the  utility  of  rehearsing "  shall  be  left  to 
their  judgment — which  means  that  they  shall  never 
be  called  to  any  sort  of  rehearsal — all  idea  of  a 
perfect  ensemble  must,  in  their  case,  be  abandoned. 
Sir  Michael  would,  I  am  sure,  have  protested  against 
the  acceptance  of  such  conditions.  Nothing  would 
satisfy  him  but  to  go  on  rehearsing  a  work  until 
everything,  and  especially  until  the  ensemble  pieces, 
were  perfect.  Then  he  would  have  one  final  re- 


COSTA'S  DISCIPLINE.  225 

hcarsal  in  order  to  assure  himself  that  this  perfec- 
tion was  maintained ;  and  the  opera  could  be  played 
the  night  afterwards.  Costa  was  born  with  the 
spirit  of  discipline  strong  within  him.  As  a  singer 
he  would  never  have  made  his  mark.  In  his  original 
occupation,  that  of  second  tenor,  his  remarkable 
qualities  were  lost.  As  a  conductor,  on  the  other 
hand,  his  love  of  order,  punctuality,  regularity  in 
everything,  stood  him  in  excellent  part. 

At  many  operatic  theatres  the  performance  begins 
some  five  or  ten  minutes  after  the  time  announced ; 
at  no  theatre  where  Sir  Michael  Costa  conducted 
did  it  ever  begin  a  minute  late.  The  model 
orchestral  chief  arrived  with  a  chronometer  in  each 
of  his  waistcoat  pockets  ;  and  when,  after  consulting 
his  timepieces,  he  saw  that  the  moment  for  beginning 
had  arrived,  he  raised  his  baton,  and  the  performance 
began.  He  did  not  even  take  the  trouble  to  see 
that  the  musicians  were  all  in  their  places.  He 
knew  that,  with  the  discipline  he  maintained,  they 
must  be  there. 

Among  other  difficulties  which  an  operatic 
manager  has  often  to  deal  with  is  one  arising 
from  questions  of  precedence  between  the  singers. 
Who  is  to  have  the  best  dressing-room  at  the 
theatre  ?  Who  the  best  suite  of  apartments  at  the 
hotel?  Naturally  the  prima  donna.  But  suppose 
there  is  more  than  one  prima  donna  in  the  Com- 
pany, or  that  the  contralto  claims  to  be  an  artist  of 
greater  eminence  than  the  principal  soprano  ? 

VOL.    I.  Q 


226  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

I  remember  once  arriving  at  Dublin  with  a  Com- 
pany which  included  among  its  members  Mdlle. 
Salla,  who  played  leading  soprano  parts,  and  Mdlle. 
Anna  de  Belocca,  a  Russian  lady,  who  played  and 
sang  with  distinction  the  most  important  parts 
written  for  the  contralto  voice.  Mdlle.  Belocca  and 
Mdlle.  Salla  entered  at  the  same  time  the  best  suite 
of  apartments  in  the  hotel ;  upon  which  each  of  them 
exclaimed  :  "  These  rooms  will  do  for  me." 

"For  you?"  said  Mdlle.  Salla.  "The  prima 
donna  has,  surely,  the  right  of  choice,  and  I  have 
said  that  I  wish  to  have  them." 

"Priraa  donna!"  exclaimed  Belocca,  with  a 
laugh.  "  There  are  but  two  prime  donne :  moi  et 
Patti." 

"  You  will  not  have  these  rooms  all  the  same," 
continued  the  soprano. 

"  We  will  see  about  that,"  returned  the  contralto. 
I  was  in  despair,  for  it  was  now  a  matter  of 
personal  dignity.  Neither  lady  would  give  way  to 
the  other.  Leaving  them  for  a  time  together  I 
went  downstairs  to  the  hotel-keeper,  Mr.  Maple,  and 
said  to  him  — 

"  Have  you  not  another  suite  of  rooms  as  good, 
or  nearly  so,  as  the  one  for  which  these  ladies  are 
disputing  ? '' 

"  I  have  a  very  good  suite  of  rooms  on  the  second 
floor,"  said  Maple ;  "  quite  as  good,  I  think,  as 
those  on  the  first  floor."  These  rooms  had  already 
been  pointed  out  to  Mdlle.  de  Belocca  through  the 


MOl  ET  PATTI.  227 

window.  But  nothing,  she  said,  would  induce  her 
to  go  upstairs,  were  it  only  a  step. 

"  Come  with  me,  then,"  I  said  to  Maple.  "  Mind 
you  don't  contradict  me;  and  to  begin  with,  it 
must  be  understood  that  these  rooms  on  the  second 
floor  have  been  specially  retained  by  Lady  Spencer  " 
— Lord  Spencer  was  at  that  time  Viceroy  of  Ireland 
— "  and  cannot  on  any  account,  or  under  any 
circumstances,  be  assigned  even  for  a  brief  time  to 
anyone  else." 

Maple  seized  my  idea,  and  followed  me  upstairs. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?  "  I  said  to  him, 
when  we  were  together,  in  the  presence  of  the  two 
excited  vocalists.  "  Are  these  the  only  rooms  you 
have  to  offer  us  ?  They  will  do  for  one  of  these 
ladies  ;  but  whichever  accepts  them  the  other  must 
be  provided  with  a  set  of  apartments  at  least  as 
good." 

"  I  simply  have  not  got  them,"  replied  Maple. 
"  There  is  a  charming  set  of  apartments  on  the 
floor  above,  but  they  are  specially  retained  for  the 
Countess  Spencer,  and  it  would  be  more  than  my 
business  is  worth  to  let  anyone  else  take  possession 
of  them." 

At  these  words  Belocca  opened  her  beautiful 
eyes,  and  seemed  to  be  struck  with  an  idea'. 

"  At  least  we  could  see  them  ?  "  I  suggested. 

"You  could  see  them,"  returned  Maple,  "but 
that  is  all." 

"  Let  us  go  and  have  a  look  at  them,"  I  said. 


'228  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Maple  and  myself  walked  upstairs.  Belocca 
silently  followed  us.  We  pretended  not  to  see  her, 
but  as  soon  as  the  door  of  the  apartments  reserved 
for  the  Countess  Spencer  was  thrown  open  the 
passionate  young  Muscovite  rushed  into  them,  shut 
the  door,  and  locked  it,  declaring  that  Lady  Spencer 
must  be  provided  for  elsewhere. 

On  the  conclusion  of  my  London  season  of  1879 
I  immediately  started  for  the  Continent  in  search  of 
talent  for  my  next  New  York  and  London  seasons, 
which  both  commenced  on  the  18th  October. 

On  the  issue  of  my  New  York  prospectus,  every 
box,  together  with  three-fourths  of  the  parquet, 
likewise  the  first  two  rows  of  balcony,  were  sold  out 
for  the  season ;  so  good  an  impression  had  my  per- 
formances left  the  previous  spring. 

I  must  here  mention  a  circumstance  which  greatly 
inconvenienced  me.  On  the  day  of  sailing  from 
Liverpool  I  received  notice  that  Mdme.  Gerster  was 
in  a  delicate  condition,  which  was  confirmed  after- 
wards by  a  cable  which  reached  me  on  my  arrival 
in  New  York.  I  replied,  entreating  the  lady  to 
xoome  over,  if  only  for  a  couple  of  months,  when  she 
could  afterwards  return.  All  my  proposals  failed, 
though  it  was  not  until  I  received  five  doctors' 
certificates  from  Italy  sealed  by  the  Prefetto  and 
vise*d  by  the  Consuls  that  t  gave  up  begging  her  to 
appear. 

I  was  really  at  my  wits*  ends,  for  there  was  no 
possibility  of  replacing  the  favourite  artist.  I, 


MUSICAL  PROTECTIVE  UNION.  229 

however,  engaged  Mdlle.  Valleria,  also  Mdlle.  Ambre*, 
a  Moorish  prima  donna  of  some  ability  and  pos- 
sessing great  personal  charms. 

Despite  all  I  could  do,  the  Press  and  the  public 
became  excited  about  the  absence  of  Gerster;  and 
either  she  or  Lucca  or  Nilsson,  or  someone  of  equal 
calibre,  was  urgently  wanted.  It  was  too  late  for 
either  of  these  distinguished  ladies  to  entertain  my 
proposals.  I,  therefore,  addressed  Mdlle.  Marimon, 
who  was  then  in  Paris. 

About  this  time  the  members  of  my  orchestra, 
who  all  belonged  to  the  Musical  Union,  struck  for  a 
ten  per  cent,  increase  of  pay  in  consequence  of  the 
success  I  had  met  with  the  previous  year.  I  flatly 
refused  to  comply  with  their  demand,  whereupon  the 
main  body  of  the  players  informed  me  that  they 
would  not  enter  the  orchestra  on  my  opening  night, 
unless  their  terms  were  conceded.  I  explained  that 
the  previous  year  I  had  paid  them  no  less  than 
50,000  dollars,  being  more  than  double  the  price  of 
my  London  orchestra, but  it  was  all  to  no  avail.  How- 
ever, I  induced  them  to  play  at  my  opening  per- 
formance, leaving  the  matter  to  be  decided  at  a 
conference  to  be  held  in  the  course  of  a  few  days. 

To  return  to  Mdlle.  Marimon;  time  being  of 
importance,  all  our  correspondence  had  to  be  carried 
on  by  cable,  .1  having  to  pay  the  answers.  As  at  the 
time  I  speak  of  the  price  was  some  fifty  cents  or  two 
shillings  a  word,  and  as  the  correspondence  went  on 
for  over  a  fortnight,  I  found  at  last  that  I  had  spent 


230  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIJIS. 

over  £ir>0  in  cables  alone.  The  lady  insisting  that 
the  money  should  be  deposited  beforehand  at  Roths- 
child's, in  Paris,  this,  too,  had  to  be  transmitted  by 
cable. 

At  length  a  day  was  fixed  for  her  departure,  and 
I  awaited  with  impatience  her  arrival.  Some  four 
days  later  I  received  a  cable  from  my  agent,  Jarrett, 
who  had  gone  over  at  my  request  to  Paris,  informing 
me  that  Marimon  had  not  started  and  that  a  new 
element  of  trouble  had  arisen. 

Mdlle.  Marimon  having  lost  her  mother  some 
time  before  in  the  foundering  of  the  Pacific  steam- 
ship was  nervous  about  going  to  sea,  and  would 
not  start  unless  accompanied  by  her  maid.  The 
maid,  however,  objected  to  go  with  her  mistress 
to  America  on  a  visit  which  might  last  some  months. 
She  was  attached  at  the  time  to  an  actor  at  the 
Gymnase,  and  preferred  remaining  in  Paris.  She 
knew  her  mistress  to  be  very  superstitious,  and, 
in  order  to  avoid  starting,  resolved  to  play  on  her 
weak  point.  Pretending,  therefore,  to  be  ignorant 
of  Marimon's  intentions,  she  imparted  to  that 
lady  the  secret  of  a  terrible  dream  with  which  she 
had  been  visited  three  nights  in  succession,  to  the 
effect  that  she  and  her  mistress  had  embarked  in  a 
big  ship  for  a  long  voyage,  and  that  upon  the  third 
day  at  sea  the  vessel  had  collided  with  another 
and  both  had  gone  to  the  bottom.  This  fable 
had  the  desired  effect.  "With  blanched  cheeks  the 
frightened  Marimon,  who  was  still  in  Paris,  informed 


AN  ENCOURAGING  TELEGRAM.  281 

Jarrett  that  it  was  impossible  for  her  to  go,  and  that 
she  wished  to  have  her  engagement  cancelled.  To 
this  I  refused  to  accede,  the  engagement  being  com- 
plete and  the  money  having  been  paid. 

Volumes  of  cable  messages  were  now  again  com- 
menced. Here  is  a  copy  of  one  of  rny  replies  : — 

"  Tranquil  sea.  Charming  public.  Elegant  city. 
Luxurious  living.  For  Heaven's  sake  corne,  and 
duplicate  youc  Drury  Lane  triumphs. — MAPLESON." 

At  length  tact  and  diplomacy  overcame  her 
terrors,  and  she  started  in  the  City  of  Richmond  the 
following  day. 

I  was  expecting  her  with  the  greatest  anxiety,  for 
several  days  had  now  passed  beyond  the  ordinary 
time,  when  on  the  morning  of  November  24th  I 
read  in  the  morning  papers  the  following  telegram 
from  Halifax: — 

"  The  steamer  Circassia  of  the  Anchor  Line, 
with  the  American  mail,  came  into  port  this 
morning,  having  picked  up  the  disabled  ship  the 
City  of  Richmond ,  encountering  heavy  weather,  with 
a  broken  shaft,  off  Sable  Island,  180  miles  from 
Halifax,  the  second  officer  having  been  washed  over- 
board and  lost.  Amongst  the  saloon  passengers 
were  Mdlle.  Marimon  and  her  maid." 

I  thereupon  despatched  messengers  to  Halifax, 
and  in  due  course  Mdlle.  Marimon  reached  New 
York. 

On  her  arrival  she  immediately  insisted  on  going 
to  the  Catholic  Cathedral,  in  Fiftieth  Street,  to  offer 


232  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

np  thanks  and  a  candle  for  her  narrow  escape. 
Despite  all  my  entreaty  to  cease  praying',  in  con- 
sequence of  the  extreme  cold  in  the  vast  Cathedral 
— it  was  now  near  the  close  of  November — madame 
remained  prostrate  for  another  half-hour,  during 
which  titne  my  rehearsal  was  waiting.  I  had  hoped 
to  get  her  to  attend  by  inviting  her  to  have  a  look 
at  the  interior  of  the  theatre  where  she  was  to  per- 
form. 

The  result,  meanwhile,  of  her  devotions  was  that 
she  caught  a  violent  cold  and  was  obliged  to  lie  in 
bed  for  a  week  afterwards. 

I  was  next  much  troubled  by  a  renewed  outbreak 
in  the  orchestra,  the  occasion  being  the  first  per- 
formance of  Linda  dt  Chamouni,  when  to  my  astonish- 
ment more  than  half  the  musicians  were  absent.  I 
was  too  perplexed  with  other  matters  to  worry 
beyond  appealing  to  the  public,  who  sympathized 
with  me. 

A  kind  of  operatic  duel  was  now  going  on  betwixt 
my  two  tenors,  Campanini  and  Aramburo.  The 
latter,  with  his  magnificent  voice,  had  quite  con- 
quered New  York.  Being  a  Spaniard,  his  own 
countrymen  supported  him  nightly  by  their  presence 
in  large  numbers.  But  the  tenor  was  displeased  at 
sundry  hisses  which  came  from  unknown  quarters 
of  the  gallery,  whilst  two  or  three  newspapers 
attacked  him  without  any  reason.  It  was  the  eve 
of  his  performance  in  Rigoletto  when  I  was  informed 
that  Senor  Aramburo  and  the  Gilda,  Mdme.  Adini 


DISAPPEARANCE  OF  A  TEKOB.  233 

(at  that  time  his  wife),  had  suddenly  sailed  for 
Europe.  The  last  I  could  trace  of  them  was  that 
that  very  day  they  had  both  been  seen  in  the  city 
at  five  o'clock.  Early  that  morning  Aramburo 
had  come  to  me  wanting  to  borrow  300  dollars.  At 
first  I  refused,  but  he  pressed  me,  saying  that  ho 
had  property  "  in  Spain,"  and  that  he  really  needed 
money  to  close  up  certain  business  transactions.  I 
gave  him  the  sum,  and  this  was  the  last  I  saw 
of  him.  At  5.30,  however,  in  the  afternoon,  I 
received  a  note  from  him,  in  which  he  said  that  he 
would  like  five  nice  seats  for  that  evening's  per- 
formance, as  he  wished  to  oblige  some  friends.  I 
sent  him  the  tickets,  but  by  the  time  they  reached  his 
address  he  must  have  packed  up  and  gone. 

At  length  the  day  for  Mdlle.Marimon's  appearance 
arrived.  It  was  not  until  Wednesday,  3rd  Decem- 
ber, that  she  made  her  debut  in  La  Sonnambu/a, 
when  she  was  supported  by  Campanini  as  '*  Elvino," 
Del  Puente  as  "  Conte  Rodolfo,"  and  Mdine. 
Lablache  as  the  mother.  Mdlle.  Marimon  scored 
a  positive  success,  and  the  ovations  she  received 
were  something  unprecedented.  I  at  once  forgot 
all  my  troubles,  for  I  now  plainly  foresaw  that  she 
would  replace  "Mdme.  Gerster  until  the  following 
year.  Anything  like  her  success  had  not  been 
witnessed  since  Gerster's.  At  one  bound,  as  it 
were,  she  leaped  into  the  highest  favour  and  esteem 
of  the  music  lovers  of  New  York.  I  announced  her 
reappearance  for  the  following  Monday. 


234  THE  MAPLESOV  AI EM 01  US. 

But  the  reaction  consequent  on  the  agitation 
caused  to  her  by  the  perils  of  the  sea  voyage  now 
began  to  manifest  itself.  The  nervousness 
from  which  she  had  suffered  at  sea,  in  the  belief 
that  her  maid's  dream  was  about  to  be  verified,  had 
caused  such  a  disturbance  to  her  nervous  system 
that  this,  coupled  with  the  subsequent  excitement 
due  to  her  brilliant  success,  caused  the  fingers 
of  both  her  hands  to  be  drawn  up  as  if  with  cramp. 
She  found  it  impossible  to  reappear  for  several  days ; 
and  it  was  not  until  the  15th,  some  twelve  days  later* 
that  she  was  able  to  give  her  second  performance. 
She  afterwards  sang  the  part  of  the  "  Queen  of 
Night,"  in  Flaulo  Magico,  which  terminated  the  New 
York  season. 

We  afterwards  left  for  Boston,  where  on  the  open- 
ing night  Mdlle.  Marimon's  success  was  again  most 
marked ;  and  from  the  beginning  until  the  end  of  the 
engagement  there  her  receipts  equalled  those  of 
Mdme.  Gerster.  During  the  tour  we  visited  Phila- 
delphia, Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Detroit,  and  Cleveland. 
We  afterwards  made  a  second  visit  to  Philadelphia, 
the  season  concluding  about  the  middle  of  March, 
1880,  when  we  returned  to  Europe. 

During  our  stay  in  Philadelphia  Mdlle.  Marimou, 
who  had  met  with  such  great  success  two  evenings 
previously,  was  announced  to  appear  as  "  Dinorah." 
About  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  she  sent  word 
that  she  would  be  unable  to  sing.  All  persuasion 
on  my  part  was  useless.  However,  as  I  was 


SHADOW  SONGS.  235 

descending  the  staircase  of  the  hotel  I  met  Brignoli, 
who  on  hearing  of  my  trouble  declared  that  he  had  a 
remedy  and  that  he  felt  sure  he  could  induce  Mdlle. 
Marimon  to  sing.  Ho  made  it  a  condition,  however, 
that  in  case  of  success  I  should  re-engage  him  for  the 
approaching  London  season.  To  this  I  readily  con- 
sented, and  I  was  greatly  surprised  at  hearing  within 
half  an  hour  that  Mdlle.  Marimon  and  her  maid  had 
gone  on  to  the  theatre.  This  was  indeed  a  relief  to 
me,  as  nearly  every  seat  in  the  theatre  had  been  sold, 
Meyerbeer's  romantic  opera  not  having  been  per- 
formed in  Philadelphia  for  some  twenty  years. 

On  the  rising  of  the  curtain  Mdlle.  Marimon's 
voice  was  inaudible.  She  was  very  warmly  greeted, 
and  went  through  all  the  gestures  of  the  part ; 
played  it,  in  short,  pantomimically.  At  the  close  of 
the  act  I  went  before  the  curtain,  and  announced 
that  Mdlle.  Marimon's  voice,  instead  of  recovering 
itself,  was  going  gradually  from  bad  to  worse ;  and 
that  the  shadow  scene  in  the  second  act  would  have 
to  be  omitted ;  but  that,  to  compensate  the  public 
for  the  disappointment,  Signer  Campanini,  who  was 
then  present  in  one  of  the  boxes,  had  kindly  con- 
sented, together  with  Miss  Gary,  to  give  the  con- 
cluding acts  of  II  Trovatore.  This  at  once  restored 
the  depressed  spirits  of  the  audience. 

Miss  Gary  surprised  everyone  by  the  dramatic 
force  of  her  "  Azucena."  Galassi  was  equally  effec- 
tive in  the  role  of  the  "  Count  di  Luna."  But  Gam- 
panini,  in  Di  qiiella  pira,  met  with  more  than  a 


236  TEE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

success :  it  was  a  triumph.  The  house  broke  into 
rapturous  applause,  and  cheered  the  singer  to  the 
echo.  At  the  conclusion  he  was  loaded  with  flowers. 
Thus  I  avoided  the  misfortune  of  having  to  close 
the  theatre. 

On  returning  home  to  supper  I  discovered  the 
"  remedy  "  Brignoli  had  employed,  which  was  this  : 
He  presented  himself  on  leaving  me  to  Mdlle. 
Marirnon,  and  informed  her  that  he  understood 
Mapleson  meant  to  close  up  the  Opera-house  that 
evening,  and  charge  her  the  value  of  the  receipts, 
then  estimated  at  nearly  £1,000.  He,  therefore, 
advised  her  to  go  to  the  theatre,  even  if  she  walked 
through  the  part. 

One  or  two  newspapers  the  following  morning 
insisted  on  regarding  my  speech  of  the  previous 
evening  as  a  melancholy  joke.  I  had  announced 
that  Mdlle.  Marimon  was  physically  unable  to  fulfil 
the  demands  of  her  role,  and  that  she  would  omit 
the  shadow  song.  But,  said  the  papers,  her  efforts 
throughout  the  evening  had  all  been  shadow  songs, 
the  little  lady  having  been  absolutely  voiceless. 

Mdlle.  Marimon,  however,  in  settling  up  the 
account  some  weeks  afterwards,  charged  me  £120 
for  this  performance,  arguing  that  she  had  appeared 
and  done  her  bust  under  the  circumstances. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

OIB  MICHAEL  AND  HIS  CHEQUE — Six  MINUTES'  BANK- 
RUPTCY— SUCCESS  OP  "  LOHENGRIN  " — PRODUCTION  OP 
"MEFISTOFELE" — RETURN  TO  NEW  YORK — "LOHEN- 
GRIN" UNDER  DIFFICULTIES  —  ELSA'S  TAILS  —  CIN- 
CINNATI OPERA  FESTIVAL. 

I  BEGAN  ray  London  season  of  1880  a  few  days  after 
my  return  from  the  United  States,  Mdme.  Christine 
Nilsson  appearing  as  "  Margherita  "  in  Faust  on  the 
opening  night,  followed  by  La  Sonnambu/a,  Carmen, 
Ai<la,  etc.,  also  Lohengrin,  for  which  I  had  specially 
entered  into  an  engagement  with  Richter,  who 
after  some  fifteen  rehearsals  declared  the  work 
ready  for  presentation.  He  at  the  same  time  in- 
formed me  that  on  looking  through  the  orchestral 
parts  he  had  discovered  no  less  than  430  mistakes 
which  had  been  passed  over  by  his  predecessor,  Sir 
Michael  Costa,  and  which  he  had  corrected. 

About  this  time  law  proceedings  were  pretty  hot 
between  myself  and  Sir  Michael  Costa,  and  as  they 


238  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

led  to  my  becoming  a  bankrupt  for  about  six 
minutes,  I  may  as  well  explain  to  tbo  reader  how 
this  occurred. 

My  engagement  with  Sir  Michael  Costa  was  for  a 
season  of  three  months  in  each  year,  for  which  I 
was  to  give  him  £1,500 — £500  each  month,  payable 
in  advance.  My  season  of  1875  was  fixed  to  open 
on  the  24th  April,  and  to  terminate  on  the  24th 
July,  which  it  actually  did  ;  but  having  at  that  time 
secured  the  services  of  the  great  tragedian  Salvini, 
I  thought  it  desirable  to  open  the  theatre  about  a 
fortnight  earlier,  giving  opera  only  twice  or  three 
times  a  week,  and  utilizing  the  other  nights  for  the 
appearances  of  Salvini.  I  mentioned  my  idea  to 
Costa,  who  said  I  had  better  pay  him  his  regular 
cheque  as  from  the  commencement  of  the  season, 
and  that  the  few  extra  nights  could  be  settled  for 
apart. 

On  the  10th  July  Sir  Michael  Costa  asked  for  his 
usual  monthly  cheque  in  advance.  I  reminded  him 
of  our  conversation  on  the  subject,  and  pointed  out 
to  him  that  I  had  already  made  him  the  three  pay- 
ments as  agreed.  He  told  me  that  he  wanted 
particularly  to  have  the  cheque,  as  he  desired  to 
show  it  to  H.R.H. ;  adding  with  a  mysterious  air  : 
"  You  will  be  pleased  !  "  From  his  manner  he  led 
me  to  believe  that  he  would  return  me  the  cheque 
after  it  had  been  shown.  I,  therefore,  gave  it  to 
him ;  and,  hearing  no  more  of  it  for  five  years, 
thought  he  had  destroyed  it.  However,  prior  to 


REGISTRAR  HAZLITT  AS  IMPRESARIO.        239 

my  announcing  ray  season  of  1880,  application  was 
made  for  the  payment  of  this  cheque.  Sir  Michael 
declined,  in  fact,  to  wield  the  baton  unless  the 
old  cheque  were  paid.  He  seemed  quite  determined 
on  the  subject ;  and  I,  on  my  part,  was  equally  de- 
termined to  resist  the  demand.  I  made  various 
propositions  for  an  equitable  adjustment,  as  also 
did  several  influential  friends ;  but  all  to  no  pur- 
pose. Sir  Michael  Costa,  like  Shylock,  insisted 
on  his  bond ;  and  the  law  was  allowed  to  take  its 
course.  In  the  end  the  "  blue  paper"  was  signed 
by  Mr.  Registrar  Hazlitt  constituting  me  a  bank- 
rupt, and  I  left  the  Court  in  a  state  of  depression 
quite  unusual  to  me. 

We  had  scarcely  got  outside  when  a  happy 
thought  struck  my  solicitor,  who,  hurrying  back 
with  me  to  the  Registrar,  addressed  him  as 
follows  : — 

"Pending  the  appointment  of  a  trustee,  which 
may  take  some  eight  or  nine  days,  your  honour  is, 
in  fact,  the  manager  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre,  and 
my  client  thinks  it  only  right  to  take  your  honour's 
orders  as  to  the  production  of  Lohengrin  on  Saturday. 
Some  new  skirts,  moreover,  which  might  be  of 
calico,  but  which  your  honour  would,  perhaps, 
prefer  of  silk,  are  wanted  for  the  ballet  in  II 
Trovatore  next  Monday.  But  the  Lohengrin  matter 
is  the  more  pressing  of  the  two,  and  we  should  be 
glad  if  you  would  meet  Herr  Richter,  who,  though 
unwilling  to  tamper  with  the  score  of  so  great  a 


240  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

composer  as  Wagner,  thinks  some  cuts,  already  on 
another  occasion  authorized  by  the  master,  might 
be  ventured  upon  in  the  long  duet  between 
"Elsa"  and  "  Ortrud."  There  is  an  obstinate 
tenor,  moreover,  whom  your  honour,  by  adopting 
a  decided  tone  towards  him,  might  perhaps  bring 
to  reason." 

Mr.  Registrar  Hazlitt  was  amnzed,  and  in  tones 
of  something  like  dismay  declared  that  he  had 
trouble  enough  where  he  was,  and  could  not  under- 
take the  management  of  an  Opera-house.  He  had 
not  considered  that,  he  continued,  when  he  signed 
the  paper.  He  rang  for  a  messenger,  caused  the 
paper  to  be  brought  to  him,  and  at  once  tore  it  up; 
thus  putting  an  end  to  my  six  minutes  of  bank- 
ruptcy. 

Lohengrin  met  with  very  great  success,  and  we 
ran  it  alternately  with  Cai'men,  Don  Giovanni,  Faiist, 
nnd  several  other  operas,  in  which  Mdlle.  Gerster 
maintained  her  pre-eminence.  During  all  this  time 
we  were  busily  rehearsing  Boito's  Mefistofele, 
which  I  was  unable  to  produce  until  the  early  part 
of  July.  The  following  was  the  cast : — 

«  Margherita"  and  "  Helen  oH  Mjme  ^^  Nil8gon< 

Troy"         f 

"  Martha  "  and  "  Pantalis  "     ...  Mdme.  Trcbelli. 

"  Mefistofele  "   ...         ...         ...  Biguor  Nannetti. 

"  Faust "  Signor  Campauini. 

The  rehearsals  were  under  the  immediate  personal 
superintendence  of  the  composer  Boito,  and  the 


SUDDEN  ARRIVAL  OF  PROPS.  241 

scenic  department  under  that  of  the  celebrated 
scene-painter  Magnani.  The  greatest  pains  were 
taken  to  give  such  a  representation  of  this  opera  as 
would  be  worthy  of  the  composer's  high  reputation. 

At  last  the  day  arrived,  the  6th  July;  but  not 
the  properties,  which  were  expected  in  large 
cases  from  Italy,  but  could  not  be  heard  of  and 
were  nowhere  to  be  found.  I  went  to  all  the  likely 
places  in  London,  telegraphed  to  Boulogne  and  to 
Calais,  but  in  vain.  Finally,  however,  at  half-past 
six  in  the  evening,  they  were  brought  to  the  stage 
door. 

The  reader  cannot,  of  course,  understand  the 
enormous  difficulty  which  arose  in  unpacking  these 
hundreds  of  various  properties,  each  one  done 
up  in  separate  paper.  At  last  shields,  armour, 
spears,  serpents,  goblets,  torches,  demon's  wigs, 
etc.,  etc.,  were  all  piled  up  on  the  stage.  The 
supernumeraries  and  chorus  were  ready  dressed, 
and  were  left  to  help  themselves,  the  supers,  who 
were  all  guardsmen,  picking  out  the  prettiest  pro- 
perties they  could  find ;  and  it  was  with  immense 
difficulty  that,  with  Boito's  aid,  we  could  distribute 
the  most  necessary  for  the  performance.  The 
success  of  this  opera  is  doubtless  fresh  in  the  minds 
of  most  lovers  of  music.  I  look  upon  it  as  one  of 
the  most  memorable  on  record.  It  went  without  a 
hitch.  Madame  Nilsson  as  "  Margherita  "  impressed 
me  by  her  singing  and  acting  in  the  prison  scene  as 
she  had  never  done  before.  The  opera  was  repeated 

VOL.    J.  E 


THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

every  other  night  until  the  close  of  the  season,  the 
receipts  continually  increasing. 

At  the  close  of  my  London  season  I  again  went  to 
the  Continent  in  quest  of  talent,  and  paid  a  visit  to 
Mdme.  Gerster  at  her  elegant  villa  near  Bologna. 
She  received  me  with  every  expression  of  delight, 
and  we  concluded  forthwith  our  arrangements  for 
her  return  to  America,  she  making  it  a  condition 
that  the  baby  should  accompany  her.  I  now  made 
great  preparations  to  ensure  a  brilliant  season. 
Great  improvements  were  made  by  the  Directors  in 
the  auditorium  of  the  Academy  of  Music  in  New  York, 
and  new  carpet  was  everywhere  laid  down.  At  my 
suggestion,  too,  a  few  feet  were  cut  from  the  front  of 
the  stage,  which  improved  the  proscenium  boxes,  and 
gave  me  two  extra  rows  of  stalls  or  parquet  seats, 
numbering  sixty  in  all.  These  were  immediately 
let  at  high  premiums  for  the  whole  of  ray  season. 
Preparations  were  afterwards  made  for  the  produc- 
tion of  Boito's  Hefistojele,  which  had  been  such  a 
great  success  during  ray  past  London  season. 

As  I  found  it  desirable  not  to  leave  myself  entirely 
in  the  hands  of  one  principal  tenor,  I  concluded  ar- 
rangements whereby  Signor  Ravelli  was  to  form 
part  of  my  Company.  Ravelli  made  his  debut  as 
"  Edgardo  "  in  Lucia  di  Lammermoor  on  the  open- 
ing night,  when  Mdme.  Gerster  made  her  rentree, 
after  an  absence  of  a  year,  as  "  Lucia."  The  house 
was  crowded  from  floor  to  ceiling,  Mdme.  Gerster 
receiving  more  than  her  usual  ovations. 


MKFISTOFELE  IN  NEW  YORK.  243 

The  following  night  Campanini  made  his  re-ap- 
pearance as  "  Fernando"  in  La  Favorita,  Miss  Annie 
Louise  Gary  undertaking  her  unrivalled  impersona- 
tion of  "  Leonora." 

Wishing  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  make  the 
production  of  Mefistofele  a  representation  of  the 
first  class  in  every  respect,  I  caused  to  be  removed 
from  each  end  of  the  orchestra  some  five-and-twenty 
parquet  seats  in  order  t'hat  it  might  be  enlarged, 
and  I  engaged  some  twenty-five  extra  musicians 
of  ability  so  that  the  ensemble  of  my  orchestra 
might  be  equal  to  that  of  London.  Arditi  was 
indefatigable  with  his  rehearsals,  of  which  he  had 
several,  in  order  to  obtain  every  possible  perfection 
in  the  execution  of  the  music,  to  secure  even  the 
minutest  nuances  in  the  necessary  light  and  shade. 
The  cast  included  Signor  Campanini  as  "  Faust," 
Annie  Louise  Gary  as  "Martha"  and  "  Pantalis," 
a  new-comer,  Signor  Novara,  as  "  Mefistofele," 
whilst  Alwina  Valleria  undertook  the  role  of  "  Mar- 
gherita" — and  right  well  did  the  little  lady  fulfil  the 
task  she  had  undertaken.  She  had  moments  at 
which  she  showed  herself  quite  equal  to  Mdme. 
Nilsson,  especially  in  the  prison  scene. 

In  the  newspapers  the  following  morning  no 
mention  whatever  was  made  either  of  the  increase 
in  my  orchestra  or  of  its  performance;  the  critics  at 
that  time  being  less  discerning  than  they  are  now. 
This  greatly  mortified  Arditi,  who  had  been  working 
like  a  slave  for  so  long  a  time  before  the  production. 


244  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

TVe  shortly  afterwards  produced  Mignon,  when 
Arditi  said  one  rehearsal  would  do,  as  sure  enough 
it  did ;  and  this  time  we  met  with  great  praise.  On 
my  returning  for  the  following  spring  season  I  dis- 
pensed with  the  services  of  my  twenty-five  extra 
musicians;  and  the  excellence  of  the  orchestra  was 
now  fully  commented  upon. 

About  this  time  I  remounted  Aida  in  grand  style, 
with  new  properties,  scenery,  and  dresses,  Mdrne. 
Gerster  shortly  afterwards  appearing  as  "Elsa'' 
in  Lohengrin.  This  reminds  me  of  an  interesting 
occurrence. 

The  fatigues  incident  to  the  continued  rehearsals  of 
Lohengrin  had  rather  unnerved  Mdme.  Gerster,  who, 
however,  made  her  appearance  in  the  role  of  "  Elsa" 
on  the  night  for  which  the  opera  had  been  originally 
announced.  Her  success,  though  great,  was  not 
what  she  desired,  and  the  next  day  she  complained 
of  indisposition,  though  she  at  the  same  time  insisted 
upon  further  rehearsals.  I  therefore  closed  the 
theatre  at  great  loss,  in  order  that  her  desires  might 
be  complied  with. 

At  length  the  time  for  the  second  performance 
arrived.  1  had  spent  a  fatiguing  day,  and  had 
finished  up  with  directing  the  difficult  machinery  of 
the  scene  in  which  the  swan  disappears  to  be  re- 
placed by  the  missing  child,  while  the  dove  comes 
down  from  heaven  to  draw  the  boat  which,  as 
"  Elsa "  embraces  her  long-lost  brother,  bears 
"  Lohengrin  "  away. 


LOHENGRIN  UNDER  DIFFICULTIES.          2-15 

Feeling  sure  that  all  was  in  order,  I  went  home 
for  a  short  time,  not  having  tasted  anything  since 
early  morn.  I  sat  down  to  my  dinner,  and  ordered 
my  servant  to  bring  me  a  pint  of  champagne.  I 
had  hardly  taken  the  knife  and  fork  into  my  hand 
when  Dr.  Gardini,  Mdme.  Gerster's  husband,  put  his 
head  through  the  door,  beckoning  to  me,  and  say- 
ing that  he  wanted  me  for  one  "  second  "  only.  On 
my  getting  into  the  vestibule  he  entreated  me  to  come 
over  a  moment  to  the  Everett  House,  where  his 
wife  was  residing,  it  being  then  about  a  quarter  to 
seven  (my  opera  was  to  commence  at  eight).  On  my 
reaching  the  Everett  House  her  maid,  her  brother, 
and  her  sister-in-law  desired  me  to  step  a  moment 
into  her  bedroom.  On  entering  I  smelt  a  powerful 
odour  of  chloroform,  and  on  inquiry  found  that  her 
brother,  who  was  a  medical  man  of  some  standing 
in  New  York,  had  been  prescribing  chloroform 
to  allay  a  tooth-ache,  or  some  other  ailment  she  was 
suffering  from  ;  but  in  the  nervous  condition  she  was 
in  it  had  acted  rather  too  violently  upon  her  general 
system,  and  there  she  lay  speechless. 

I  was  beside  myself,  and  I  am  afraid  rather  rude 
at  the  moment  to  those  in  attendance.  However,  I 
insisted  upon  taking  the  matter  entirely  into  my 
own  hands.  I  commenced  by  opening  the  tops  of 
the  windows  so  as  to  let  the  odour  out,  and  dis- 
patched the  sister  to  get  me  a  bottle  of  soda-water, 
together  with  some  sal-volatile,  also  a  bottle  of  strong 
smelling  salts.  By  raising  Mdme.  Gerster's  head 


THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

I  got  her  to  take  the  soda-water  and  sal-volatile,  and 
at  each  respiration  I  took  good  care  to  place  the 
smelling-bottle  to  her  nose,  but  all  to  no  effect. 
She  was  in  a  state  of  semi-unconsciousness. 

I,  however,  insisted  upon  raising  her  (it  being 
then  a  quarter  past  seven),  and  by  the  aid  of  the 
maid  I  put  a  large  shawl  over  her,  and  carried 
her  off  in  my  arms  to  the  carriage,  which  I  had 
ordered  to  be  at  the  door,  and  took  her  over  to  the 
Academy,  where  I  seated  her  on  a  chair.  She  now 
swooned  on  to  the  dressing-table. 

Whilst  I  continued  to  apply  the  smelling-bottle 
I  gave  directions  to  the  theatrical  hair-dresser 
to  be  careful  to  come  gently  in  and  comb  out  her 
back  hair  and  plait  in  the  little  tails  which  are 
sometimes  added  by  prime  donne.  It  was  about 
twenty  minutes  to  eight  when  Arditi  came  into  the 
room,  accompanied  by  the  call-boy,  and  both  looked 
upon  the  matter  as  hopeless.  I,  however,  begged 
the  maestro  to  go  into  the  orchestra,  and  to  leave 
the  rest  to  me. 

I  got  her  to  stand  upright;  but  when  I  suggested 
the  idea  of  singing  "  Elsa  "  she  sighed,  and  said  — 

"  It  is  utterly  useless.  It  is  just  eight  o'clock, 
and  the  tails  are  not  ia  my  hair." 

I  thereupon  informed  her  that  during  her  un- 
conscious state  I  had  carefully  had  the  tails  combed 
in.  This  brought  a  faint  smile  to  her  face,  and  I  at 
once  saw  that  there  was  still  a  chance  of  my  opera 
going.  I  led  her  to  the  entrance,  when  she  went  on 


ELSA'S  TAILS.  247 

accompanied  by  her  attendant  maidens.  I  then 
drew  a  long  breath  and  went  back  to  finish  my 
dinner,  knowing  now  that  the  opera  would  con- 
tinue. 

Long  before  the  first  act  was  completed  Mdme. 
Gerster's  energies  had  returned.  She  was  in  full 
possession  of  her  marvellous  vocal  powers,  and  a 
triumphant  evening  was  the  result  of  my  labours.. 

About   this   time  I  commenced   autumn  Sundar 

tt 

evening  concerts,  in  which  the  whole  of  my  singers 
took  part,  the  first  portion  of  the  evening  beginning, 
;>s  C  rule,  with  a  fine  performance  of  Rossini's 
Stabat  Mater,  Valleria,  Gary,  Campanini,  Galassi, 
and  Novara  singing  the  music  very  effectively.  The 
houses  were  invariably  crowded  to  the  roof. 

About  this  time,  I  settled  a  grand  opera  festival 
for  Cincinnati  the  ensuing  spring,  in  conjunction 
with  the  College  of  Music,  and  for  that  purpose 
organized  a  chorus  of  some  400  extra  voices,  and  an 
orchestra  of  some  1 50  musicians  ;  after  which  I  left 
for  Chicago  to  confer  with  Colonel  George  Nichols 
as  to  the  arrangements. 

We  afterwards  visited  Boston,  where  our  per- 
formances met  with  the  greatest  possible  success, 
each  week's  receipts  averaging  no  less  than 
35,000  dollars,  the  reappearance  of  Mdme.  Etelka 
Gerster  creating  immense  excitement.  At  the 
matinee  given  on  January  1st,  at  which  she  ap- 
peared, upwards  of  100  ladies'  odd  india-rubber 
overshoes  were  picked  up  on  the  family  circle  stair- 


248  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEMOIRS. 

case  lost  in  the  rush  after  the  opening  of  the  doors, 
there  being  a  heavy  snowstorm  raging  at  the  time. 
The  receipts  were  over  £1,200  notwithstanding. 
Aid<it  Mefistofele,  Carmen,  Don  Giovanni ,and  Puritani 
completed  the  week's  repertoire.  We  afterwards 
left  for  Philadelphia,  followed  by  Baltimore,  Wash- 
ington, Pittsburg,  Indianapolis,  Chicago,  and  St. 
Louis,  the  Opera  being  a  signal  success  all  along 
the  line.  "We  closed  up  on  the  Saturday  night  at 
St.  Louis,  leaving  by  special  train  at  1  a.m.,  shortly 
after  the  conclusion  of  the  night's  representation,  for 
Cincinnati.  The  soloists,  choristers,  and  orchestra 
arrived  at  about  three  o'clock  on  the  Sunday  after- 
noon, rather  tired ;  and  they  spent  this  afternoon  in 
hunting  up  hotels  and  boarding-houses.  In  the 
evening  we  had  a  stage  rehearsal  of  Lohengrin,  with 
chorus  and  part  of  the  orchestra.  My  own  chorus 
was  on  hand,  together  with  the  Cincinnati  contingent 
some  350  strong — all  present  without  a  single 
absentee.  But  large  as  the  stage  was  there  was 
plenty  of  room  for  all  and  to  spare.  The  beautiful 
Lohengrin  choruses  were  finely  rendered,  and  the 
volume  of  tone  resounding  through  the  vast  build- 
ing was  truly  grand.  The  rehearsal  was  afterwards 
dis?nissed,  and  everyone  retired  to  rest. 

Early  the  following  morning  the  final  rehearsal 
was  called,  which  terminated  at  twelve  o'clock ;  and 
that  same  evening  the  first  great  Opera  Festival  was 
inaugurated — undoubtedly  the  most  daring  musical 
enterprise  eyer  attempted  in  America  or  any  other 


CINCINNATI  OPERA  FESTIVAL.  249 

country.  The  sight  of  the  audience  from  the  private 
boxes  was  worth  a  journey  to  see.  It  was  one  sea 
of  faces.  Everything  looked  auspicious  for  the 
success  of  the  festival.  The  weather  was  pleasant, 
the  crowds  were  large  and  enthusiastic,  and  the 
singers  were  en  rapport  with  the  audience,  whilst  the 
chorus  did  its  very  best. 

The  orchestra,  also,  was  the  finest  ever  heard  in 
Cincinnati,  composed  of  150  first-class  musicians, 
who  did  their  work  splendidly.  In  fact,  the  ensemble 
was  complete. 

The  scene  outside  the  hall  was  one  of  bewildering 
confusion.  Myriads  of  elegant  carriages  darting 
round  corners,  pedestrians  jostling  against  each 
other  to  arrive  before  the  doors  were  closed,  an 
immense  rabble  outside,  who  had  gone  to  catch  only 
a  glimpse  of  the  handsomely-dressed  ladies  as  they 
went  in  ;  such  was  the  scene,  which,  I  must  add, 
was  illuminated  by  the  newly-invented  electric 
light.  In  spite  of  the  most  stringent  police 
regulations  the  streets  were  blocked,  and  it  is  not 
surprising  that  there  were  several  horrible  accidents. 
Notwithstanding  four  wide  exits  it  was  an  hour 
and  a  half  after  the  performance  was  over  before  the 
last  carriage  could  get  off. 

The  toilettes  of  the  ladies,  for  which  Cincinnati 
is  so  famous,  were  most  elegant.  Our  grand  per- 
formance of  Lohengrin  was  followed  by  Mozart's 
Magic  Flute,  Mdme.  Gerster  singing  the  role  of  the 
"  Queen  of  Night."  The  third  opera  was  Boito's 


250  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Mefistofele,  for  which  8,000  reserved  seats  were 
sold.  The  fourth  night  we  had  Lucia  di  Lammer- 
moor,  followed  by  an  act  from  Moses  in  Egypt;  the 
extreme  back  of  the  stage  representing  a  burning 
sun,  and  the  whole  400  choristers  joining  together 
with  the  principals  in  the  grand  prayer,  "  Dal  tuo 
stellato  soglio,"  which  terminates  the  opera.  On 
the  fifth  night  Verdi's  Aida  was  given  with  entirely 
new  scenery,  painted  for  the  occasion,  together  with 
new  dresses  and  properties. 

A  morning  performance,  La  Sonnambula,  was 
given  next  day,  with  Gerster.  The  audience,  like 
all  the  previous  ones,  was  immense.  Every  seat 
was  occupied,  whilst  2,000  people  who  had  paid  two 
dollars  apiece  were  standing  up.  The  toilettes  of 
the  ladies  were  simply  magnificent,  baffling  all 
description.  The  audience  went  wild  over  Gerster, 
encores  were  demanded  and  re-demanded,  people 
hurrahed  and  waved  their  handkerchiefs,  whilst  the 
most  expensive  bouquets  and  flowers  were  pelted 
on  the  prima  donna,  who  at  last  was  embowered 
in  roses. 

On  the  last  evening  Gounod's  Faust  was  per- 
formed. The  end  was  as  glorious  as  the  beginning. 
By  seven  o'clock  the  big  hall  was  again  filled,  arid 
at  half-past  seven,  when  Arditi  took  up  the  baton, 
the  house  was  packed  and  jammed  from  the  top- 
most part  of  the  gallery. 

The  audiences  throughout  the  week  were  most 
brilliant.  Before  separating  a  Committee  meeting 


SPEEDY  JUSTICE.  251 

was  held ;  and  it  was  resolved  that  the  festival 
should  be  renewed  the  following  year,  when  Mdme. 
Patti  and  Mdme.  Albani  should,  if  possible,  be 
added  to  the  list  of  vocalists. 

This  was  followed  by  a  grand  banquet  at  the 
club,  where  amongst  others  I  had  the  honour  of 
making  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Reuben  Springer, 
the  donor  of  the  magnificent  hall  in  which  the 
festival  had  been  held. 

The  profits  of  the  week  reached  50,000  dollars. 
We  afterwards  visited  Detroit,  Syracuse,  and 
Albany,  returning  to  New  York  in  the  early  part 
of  March. 

On  the  25th  March  a  morning  performance  was 
given  of  Lucia  di  Lammermoor,  when  the  Academy 
was  fairly  packed  from  parquet  to  gallery  by  a 
most  fashionable  audience,  not  so  much  to  hear 
Lucia  as  to  hear  Mdrae.  Gerster.  At  the  rush  at  the 
opening  of  the  doors  the  ticket-taker  discovered 
a  forged  free  pass  purporting  to  bear  my  name. 
On  his  own  responsibility  he  handed  over  to  the 
police  the  two  men  who  had  come  in  with  the  ticket, 
and  they  were  taken  off  to  the  police-station,  where 
I  was  immediately  sent  for. 

The  forgery  being  proved  they  were  both  com- 
mitted for  trial,  the  magistrate  at  the  same  time 
notifying  that  if  we  took  them  up  at  once  in  an 
elevated  train  to  Ninety-second  Street  the  assizes 
would  be  on,  and  their  case  could  be  at  once  decided. 

They  were  duly  taken  on,  and  the  matter  gone 


252  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIItS. 

into.  One  of  the  men  was  committed  to  prison  for 
a  year,  and  the  other  one  was  placed  under  the  care 
of  the  Commissioners  of  Charities  and  Corrections 
for  two  years  on  Randall's  Island. 

I  got  back  to  the  Academy  in  time  to  hear  the 
mad  scene. 

On  returning  the  following  year  I  made  inquiry 
as  to  the  man  who  had  been  sent  to  the  Reforma- 
tory, and  was  informed  that  he  had  died  only  the 
day  before.  So  also  had  the  judge  of  the  Assize 
Court :  a  remarkable  coincidence. 

We  remained  in  New  York  until  the  9th  April, 
when  we  were  again  called  to  Boston  to  give 
six  performances,  each  of  which  averaged  $5,000. 
After  a  matinte  on  the  Saturday  we  returned 
to  New  York  by  special  train,  in  order  to  give  a 
Sunday  concert,  when  over  4,000  dollars  were 
taken  at  the  doors.  "We  then  gave  six  more  extra 
farewell  performances  in  New  York,  sailiug  for 
Europe  immediately  on  the  conclusion  of  the  last 
one,  and  arriving  in  London  about  six  days  prior 
to  the  opening  of  my  season. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1881  I  received  a  com- 
munication from  Messrs.  Ricordi,  of  Milan,  the 
publishers  and  proprietors  of  Boito's  Mefistofele,  in 
which  they  solicited  me  to  allow  Signer  Nannetti,  the 
basso,  who  was  then  performing  the  title  role 
at  the  Scala,  to  delay  his  engagement  with  me 
for  the  period  of  a  fortnight,  in  order  that  the 
successful  run  of  the  work  might  not  be  interrupted ; 


RICORDl'S  PROMISE.  253 

in  exchange  for  which  they  offered  me  the  services 
of  the  musical  director,  Signor  Faccio.  To  this  I 
consented,  and  the  eminent  conductor  was  duly  an- 
nounced in  my  prospectus.  But  instead  of  keeping 
Nanuetti  two  weeks  in  Milan  they  kept  him  five, 
during  which  time  my  season  had  opened  and  Mdme. 
Nilsson  had  arrived  in  London  in  order  that  I  might 
take  up  the  successful  run  of  Mefistofele  which  had 
been  interrupted  only  by  the  clo«e  of  the  previous 
season.  Mdme.  Niisson,  however,  refused  to  appear 
until  Nannetti  came ;  and  it  was  not  until  the 
23rd  June  that  I  could  reproduce  Boito's  Mefistofele. 
Faccio  never  turned  up  at  all. 


CHAPTER   XVTI. 

PRODUCTION  OF  "!L  RINNEGATO" — RAVELLI'S  OPERATIC 
TIIEOKT  —  NEGOTIATIONS  WITH  COVENT  GARDEN 
"LIMITKD" — A  SEARCH  FOR  A  PKIMA  DONNA — FAILURK 
OP  PATH'S  CONCERTS — CINCINNATI  OPERA  FESTIVAL 
OF  '82 — PATTI'S  INDISPOSITION. 

MY  London  season  of  1881  commenced  at  Her 
Majesty's  Theatre,  on  the  7th  May.  Nothing  of 
note  took  place  prior  to  the  arrival  of  Mdme. 
Christine  Nilsson,  who  appeared  on  the  28th  as 
"Margherita  " -in  Faust,  which  character  she  re- 
pea  ted,  together  with  "Mignon,"  until  the  23rd  June, 
when,  after  two  postponements,  we  were  enabled 
to  reproduce  Boito's  Mefistofele.  The  attraction  of 
this  opera  had,  however,  considerably  diminished, 
possibly  on  account  of  its  having  been  produced  so 
late  in  the  previous  season,  when  a  few  perform- 
ances were  given,  and  afterwards  interrupted  for  a 
period  of  nearly  ten  months.  During  this  time 
negotiations  were  entered  into  between  Baron 
Bodog  Orczy  and  myself  for  the  production  of  au 


PRODUCTION  OF  RINNEGATO.  255 

opera  composed  by  the  Baron  on  a  Hungarian 
subject,  and  entitled  The  Renegade;  in  Italian  11 
Rinnegato. 

Baron  Orczy,  friend  and  pupil  of  Liszt,  and  a 
fervent  admirer  of  Wagner's  works,  bad  been  the 
Intendant  of  the  Royal  Theatre  at  Pesth,  where  he 
at  once  gave  a  proof  of  keen  musical  discernment 
by  engaging  Richter  as  his  orchestral  conductor. 
Report  said  that  he  had  given  up  his  important  post 
by  reason  of  representations  made  to  him  on  the 
subject  of  his  excessive  devotion  to  Wagnerian 
music.  However  that  may  be,  the  Baron  had  shown 
himself  by  several  excerpts  from  his  opera,  performed 
at  St.  James's  Hall  and  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  to  be 
a  composer  of  no  mean  ability.  He  handled  the 
orchestra  with  skill  and  power,  and  if  his  opera  did 
not  prove  so  successful  with  the  general  public  as 
his  friends  must  have  desired,  that  result  may  partly 
be  accounted  for  by  the  over-elaboration  of  the 
score,  and  the  importance  attached  by  the  composer 
to  the  instrumental  portions  of  his  work. 

Composed  to  a  Hungarian  libretto,  The  Renegade, 
of  which  the  subject  was  derived  from  an  historical 
romance  by  a  popular  Hungarian  novelist,  had,  with 
a  view  to  production  at  my  theatre,  been  translated 
into  Italian  ;  and  two  of  the  leading  parts  had  been 
assigned  to  Ravelli  the  tenor,  and  Galassi  the 

o 

baritone. 

Ravelli  had  not  long  been  a  member  of  rny  Com- 
pany ;  he  was  one  of  my  chance  discoveries.  One 


256  THE  MAPLE30N  MEMOIRS. 

evening,  as  so  often  happened,  I  was  at  the  last 
moment  in  want  of  a  tenor.  The  hall  porter,  find- 
ing that  I  was  sending  about  London  in  quest  of  a 
possibly  suitable  vocalist,  told  me  that  a  dark  little 
man  with  a  tenor  voice  had  been  hanging  about  the 
stage-door,  and  the  Colonnade  in  front  of  the  theatre, 
for  some  ten  days  past,  and  that  he  was  sure  to  be 
somewhere  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  artist  in 
question  was  found.  I  asked  him  whether  he  could 
really  sing.  His  answer  may  be  guessed  ;  and  when 
I  further  questioned  him  as  to  whether  he  knew  the 
part  of  "  Edgardo  "  he  replied  that  he  did,  and  in 
some  measure  verified  his  assertion  by  singing 
portions  of  it.  He  showed  himself  the  possessor 
of  a  fine,  clear,  resonant  voice ;  and  if  he  sometimes 
sang  without  true  dramatic  expression,  and  without 
the  grace  which  springs  from  perfect  art,  he  at 
least  knew  how  to  thrill  the  public  with  a  high  note 
effectively  thrown  in. 

It  is  not  my  purpose,  however,  for  good  or  ill, 
to  criticize  the  singing  of  Signor  Ravelli.  I  am  now 
dealing  with  him  only  in  so  far  as  he  was  connected 
with  the  opera  of  11  Rinneyato.  In  the  second  act 
of  that  work  the  tenor  and  baritone  fight  a  duel. 
In  this  there  was  no  novelty.  But  instead  of  the 
tenor  killing  the  baritone,  the  baritone  puts  tho 
tenor  to  death,  and  this  struck  Signor  Ravelli  as 
far  too  new.  He  appealed  to  operatic  traditions 
and  asked  in  an  excited  manner  whether  such  a 
thirg  was  heard  of  before.  "  No  I  "  he  exclaimed. 


AN  OPERATIC  DUEL.  257 

answering  with  vigour  his  own  question  ;  and  he 
added  that  though  he  was  quite  ready  to  take  part 
in  the  duel,  he  would  do  so  on  condition  that  not  he 
but  his  antagonist  should  be  slain.  It  was  useless 
to  explain  to  him  that  in  the  story  upon  which  the 
opera  was  based  the  character  represented  by  the 
tenor  perished,  while  the  baritone  lived  on.  This, 
he  said,  was  just  what  he  complained  of.  "  Why,"  he 
indignantly  demanded,  "  should  the  tenor's  part  in 
the  opera  be  thus  cut  short  ?  But  why,  above  all, 
should  the  habitual  impersonator  of  heroes  fall 
beneath  the  sword  of  one  who  was  accustomed  only 
to  play  a  villain's  part  ?  " 

It  was  impossible  to  get  the  infatuated  man  to 
hear  reason  on  the  subject.  He  cried,  screamed, 
uttered  oaths,  and  at  one  time  threatened  to  kill 
with  his  dagger,  not  only  his  natural  enemy,  the 
baritone,  but  everyone  around  him.  "  I  will  kill  them 
all !  "  he  shrieked. 

After  a  time,  by  humou-ring  him  and  agreeing 
with  him  that  in  a  well  ordered  operatic  duel  the 
tenor  ought,  of  course,  to  kill  the  baritone,  I  got  him 
to  listen  to  me ;  and  I  at  last  contrived  to  make  him 
understand  that  there  were  exceptions  to  all  rules, 
and  that  it  would  be  generous  on  his  part  to  over- 
look the  species  of  indignity  to  which  he  was  asked 
to  submit,  the  affront  offered  to  him  not  having 
been  intended  as  such,  either  by  the  librettist  or, 
above  all,  by  the  amiable  composer.  It  was  settled 
then  that  Ravelli  was  to  be  killed.  But  what,  he 
VOL.  I.  s 


258  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

wished  to  know,  was  to  be  done  with  his  body  after 
death  ?  The  proper  thing  would  be,  he  said,  for  six 
attendants  to  enter,  raise  the  corpse,  and  carry  it 
solemnly  away  to  a  place  of  repose. 

It  mattered  little  to  me  whether  the  body  of 
Ravelli  was  borne  from  off  the  stage  by  six,  eight,  or 
a  dozen  attendants.  But  according  to  the  plan  of 
the  opera  he  had  to  lie  where  he  had  fallen  while 
the  soprano,  whom  in  his  character  of  tenor  he 
had  passionately  loved,  sang  a  lament  over  his 
much-loved  form.  T  told  Ravelli  that  it  was  a  great 
compliment  thus  to  be  treated  by  a  despondent 
priraa  donna.  But  he  could  not  see  it,  and  he 
calculated  that  the  soprano's  air,  with  the  orchestral 
strains  introducing  it,  would  keep  him  in  what  he 
considered  an  ignominious  position  for  something 
like  ten  minutes.  It  was  absolutely  necessary  to 
promise  Ravelli  that  his  mortal  remains  should  be 
removed  from  the  stage  to  some  quieter  resting- 
place  by  six  corpse  bearers,  the  number  on  which  he 
had  set  his  heart ;  and  he  was  honoured,  if  I  remem- 
ber rightly,  with  the  funeral  he  had  stipulated  for  at 
the  last  rehearsal.  Baron  Orczy  had  protested 
against  this  arrangement ;  but  I  assured  him  that 
there  was  nothing  else  to  be  done,  and  that  every- 
thing should  take  place  according  to  book  at  the 
public  representation. 

On  the  night  of  performance  Ravelli  was,  of 
course,  left  recumbent  on  the  stage.  He  must  have 
thought  more  than  once,  as  he  lay  writhing  with 


A  WELL  ON  FIRE.  259 

shame   and    ansrer   on   the   boards,    of   rising   and 

tJ  *  O 

rushing  off.  But  he  feared  too  much  the  laughter 
and  derision  of  the  public,  and  he  had  to  remain 
passive  while  the  orchestral  introduction  was  being 
played,  and  while  the  priraa  donna's  soliloquy 
was  being  sung.  Many  of  us  thought  the  strain 
would  be  too  much  for  him,  and  that  he  would  go 
raving  mad.  But  when  he  found  himself  once  more 
a  free  agent  behind  the  scenes  Jie  stabbed  no  one, 
struck  no  one,  and,  strange  to  say,  seemed  perfectly 
quiet.  The  humiliation  to  which  he  had  been  sub- 
jected had  somehow  calmed  him  down. 

If  Ravelli  was  wild  and  passionate,  Galassi,  his 
associate,  was  a  reasonable  man  whose  presence  of 
mind  had  possibly  the  effect  of  saving  my  theatre 
from  being  burned  a  second  time.  There  was  a 
good  deal  of  fire  in  11  Rinnegato,  and  in  one  scene 
the  green  lights  surrounding  an  apparition  starting 
from  a  well  caught  some  gauze,  so  that  the  well  itself 
burst  into  flames,  the  result  being  such  a  blaze  that 
but  for  Galassi's  promptitude  in  dealing  with  it 
the  conflagration  might  have  proved  fatal  to  the 
building. 

While  the  baritone  was  smothering  the  fire  with 
his  cloak  and  with  some  canvas  on  which  the  grass 
was  painted — at  the  same  time  trampling  the  burn- 
ing embers  under  foot — a  portion  of  the  audience 
had  taken  alarm  and  was  already  hurrying  to  the 
doors.  At  this  critical  moment  I  could  not  but 
admire  the  calm  air  of  dignity  with  which  Baron 


260  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Orczy,  who  was  conducting  his  work,  continued  to 
mark  the  time  and  to  direct  the  performance 
generally  as  though  nothing  at  all*  extraordinary 
were  taking  place.  I  feel  sure  that  this  determined 
attitude  of  the  composer  in  the  presence  of  what, 
for  a  few  seconds,  seemed  likely  to  lead  to  a  terrible 
calamity,  had  a  considerable  effect  in  allaying  the 
general  excitement.  "  How  can  there  be  danger," 
many  must  have  asked  themselves,  •'  when  that 
gentleman  who  is  conducting  the  orchestra,  and 
who  is  so  much  nearer  the  supposed  fire  than  we 
are,  does  not  evince  the  least  alarm  ?  " 

Towards  the  close  of  this  season,  negotiations 
were  again  opened  by  the  Messrs.  Gye  towards 
purchasing  my  lease,  goodwill,  and  interest,  together 
with  a  certain  portion  of  my  costumes  and  scenery, 
with  a  view  to  an  operatic  monopoly.  Ultimately 
terms  were  arranged,  and  an  agreement  concluded, 
which  was  not  to  come  into  force  until  the  shares  of 
the  projected  Company  had  been  taken  up ;  and  it 
was  only  in  August,  1S82,  that  I  was  notified  that 
sufficient  shares  had  been  placed  to  justify  the 
Company  starting,  and  my  agreement  coming  into 
force.  In  the  meantime  I  had  been  left  to  sustain 
the  burden  of  the  current  expenses,  rates,  taxes, 
etc.,  of  my  own  theatre,  until  the  transfer  could 
be  made.  The  arrangement  entered  into  was  that 
I  should  have  so  much  cash,  and  so  many  shares, 
together  with  an  engagement  for  a  period  of  three 
years,  at  a  salary  of  £1,000  per  annum,  besides  50  per 


A  SEARCH  FOR  A  PRIMA  DONNA.  261 

cent,  of  the  profits  made  in  America,  where  I  was  to 
have  sole  control  of  the  business. 

In  the  early  part  of  October,  1881,  I  started  with 
my  party  for  New  York.  The  season  opened  on 
October  17th,  with  a  performance  of  Lohengrin  by 
Campanini,  Galassi,  Novara,  Anna  de  Belocca,  and 
Minnie  Hauk,  which  gave  great  satisfaction.  This 
was  followed  by  a  performance  of  Carmen,  in  which 
Minnie  Hauk,  Campanini,  Del  Puente,  and  Valleria 
resumed  their  original  parts. 

A  few  days  prior  to  the  sailing  of  the  Company 
for  America  I  visited  Paris,  where  I  heard  a 
young  vocalist,  Mdlle.  Vachot,  sing;  and  at  once 
negotiated  with  her  for  an  engagement.  She  did 
not  like  the  idea  of  crossing  the  ocean ;  but  she 
was  overruled  by  her  father,  a  small  farmer  at 
Varreds. 

Being  in  a  hurry  to  conclude  the  engagement  I 
called  upon  her  the  next  day,  with  a  contract  in  my 
pocket,  when  the  servant  informed  me  that  she  and 
her  father  had  gone  to  Varreds  to  consult  some 
relatives.  On  learning  the  name  of  the  place  I 
went  to  the  station,  and  there  heard  the  manager  of 
the  Grand  Opera  asking  the  ticket-seller  how  to  get 
to  Yarreds.  Luckily,  he  decided  not  to  take  that 
train.  Thereupon  I  entered  it  ;  though  being 
desperately  hungry  I  was  sorely  tempted  to  lunch 
before  doing  so. 

The  nearest  place  on  the  railroad  was  Meaux.  I 
got  there  in  a  pelting  rain-storm  to  find  that  I  had 


262  TEE  MAPLESON  UEM01K8. 

to  travel  nine  miles  across  country  to  Varreds.  I 
managed  to  get  a  trap,  but  we  had  not  gone  more 
than  half  way  before  one  of  the  traces  broke,  which, 
after  some  delay,  I  got  repaired. 

Finally  I  reached  a  clump  of  mud  hovels ;  and 
this,  I  was  told,  was  Varreds.  I  asked  a  cowboy 
•whom  I  met  if  he  had  seen  Mdlle.  Vachot.  He 
replied  that  he  did  not  know  her.  He  had  seen  two 
strangers,  a  lady  and  a  gentleman,  walking  towards 
the  "  hotel,"  which  I  found  to  be  a  mud  hut,  with 
accommodation  for  men,  women,  and  chickens,  more 
especially  the  latter,  which  were  walking  all  over 
the  parlour  floor.  Nothing  was  known  at  this  hotel, 
except  that  two  strangers  who  had  recently  arrived, 
after  leaving  a  bundle  of  shawls,  had  been  seen 
going  towards  the  cemetery. 

On  arriving  at  the  cemetery  I  found  the  gate 
locked.  I  then  went  to  the  curd,  who  said  he  knew 
nothing  of  Mdlle.  Vachot.  Finally  I  met  a  black- 
smith who  knew  her,  and  he  pointed  out  where  she 
was.  I  found  her  at  table  with  six  or  seven 
country  cousins.  As  I  was  hungry,  I  was  glad  to 
take  pot-luck  with  them. 

With  some  difficulty  I  afterwards  got  my  contract 
signed,  and  started  back  for  Paris.  On  my  way  to 
Meaux  Station  I  met  the  manager  of  the  Grand 
Opera  driving  over  towards  Varreds. 

I  afterwards  secured  a  tenor  of  the  name  of 
Pr6vost,  who  had  a  phenomenal  voice,  and  was  then 
singing  with  success  at  the  Theatre  du  Chateau 


EIXG  DES  NIBELUNGEN.  UC3 

d'Eau.  He  seemed  especially  adapted  to  the  r6le 
of  "  Arnold  "  in  William  Tell.  After  signing  with 
him  I  left  for  Italy,  where  I  ordered  new  and 
magnificent  costumes,  including  enough  for  an 
extra  chorus  of  90  male  voices  which  I  afterwards 
employed  for  the  Gathering  of  the  Cantons  in 
Rossini's  masterpiece. 

From  there  I  went  to  Parma,  where  the  eminent 
scenografo  of  the  theatre,  with  some  persuasion, 
undertook  to  paint  the  scenery,  which  on  its  arrival 
in  New  York  was  pronounced  by  all  connoisseurs 
simply  superb. 

About  this  time  the  director  of  the  Leipsic  State 
Theatre  proposed  the  production  of  Wagner's  Ring 
des  Nibelungen  at  Her  Majesty's  Theatre,  with  a 
very  powerful  cast  of  characters  and  a  magnificent 
orchestra  under  the  direction  of  Richter,  the  great 
master  himself  to  superintend  personally  its  pro- 
duction. But  of  this  "  more  anon." 

Mdlle.  Vachot  duly  appeared  in  the  early  part  of 
November  as  "  Rosina "  in  II  Barbiere  di  Siviglia. 
The  house  was  crowded  in  every  part,  and  Vachot 
was  found  to  have  a  charming  personality,  a  beautiful 
voice  with  a  good  method,  together  with  no  little 
dramatic  talent.  She  was  warmly  received  for 
her  pretty  appearance,  and  heartily  applauded  at 
frequent  intervals  for  her  delightful  singing.  From 
a  good  beginning  she  went  on  to  a  gratifying 
success,  fairly  establishing  herself  before  the  even- 
ing was  over  in  the  favour  of  her  new  public. 


264  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Tilings  were  progressing  favourably  when  about 
this  time  Mdme.  Adelioa  Patti  arrived  in  New  York 
on  a  speculation  of  her  own,  after  an  absence  of  some 
22  years.     A  great  deal  of  excitement  was  thereby 
created,  and  as  Mdme.  Patti's  concerts  were  to  take 
place  within  three  doors  of  the  Academy  of  Music, 
I  began  to  fear  as  to  the  results  of  my  season  then 
progressing.     Mdme.  Patti's  visit,  however,  turned 
out  to  be  a  most  ill-advised  one.     Her  concerts  had 
not  been  properly  announced,  and  she  came  with  a 
very   weak  Company,  believing   that   the   magical 
name  of  Patti  would  alone  crowd  the  hall.     Her 
first  concert  realized  scarcely  3,000  dollars,  whilst 
the   second   dropped   down  to    1,000   only.      Few 
people  went  to  see  her,  and  she  at  once  understood 
what  a  mistake  had  been  made.     The  charge,  more- 
over, she  demanded  was  ten  dollars  per  seat  !     The 
public,  therefore,  universally  agreed  to  stay  away. 
The  paltry  receipts  of  the  second  concert  proved 
conclusively  to  Patti's  manager,  and  to  herself  as 
well,  that  something  had  to  be  done  to  lift  the  sink- 
ing enterprise. 

I  may  mention  that  I  gave  a  gentle  hint  to  Patti 
that  her  removal  to  the  Academy  would  be  most 
desirable  by  sending  her  a  bouquet  which  cost  some 
£30,  with  these  words  on  it :  "  To  Adelina  Patti, 
Queen  of  the  Lyric  Stage."  Two  days  afterwards 
I  called  to  see  la  Diva  at  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel, 
and  after  some  negotiation  was  on  the  point  of  con- 
cluding arrangements  which  would  have  been  a 


FAILURE  OF  PA  TITS  CONCERTS.  265 

fortune  to  me  as  well  as  to  Mdrae.  Patti  herself, 
when  at  this  critical  moment  Mr.  Abbey  came 
between  us,  offering  her  a  concert  tour  in  which, 
beyond  receiving  a  fixed  salary,  she  was  to  partici- 
pate in  his  profits. 

Abbey's  admirable  handling  of  Bernhardt  being 
fresh  in  everyone's  recollection,  Patti  had  no  reason 
to  suppose  that  he  would  fail  in  her  case  to  obtain 
similar  results. 

During  my  season  at  the  Academy  the  production 
of  Rossini's  chef  d'ceuvre,  Guillaume  Tell,  made  a 
prodigious  success,  and  crowded  the  theatre  nightly. 
The  tenor  Prevost  possessed  the  voice  of  exceptional 
quality  necessary  for  the  difficult  rofe  of  "  Arnoldo." 
Signor  Galassi's  "  Tell  "  was  a  noble  impersonation, 
marked  by  great  dignity  of  action,  and  sung  in  the 
broad  and  grand  style  of  which  he  is  so  complete  a 
master ;  whilst  the  part  of  "  Mathilde  "  was  under- 
taken with  success  by  JVldlle.  Dotti,  who  displayed 
remarkable  ability. 

Shortly  afterwards  I  reproduced  Verdi's  Aida,  for 
which  I  discovered  a  most  capable  soprano  in  the 
person  of  Mdlle.  Paolina  Rossini,  whose  success 
went  on  increasing  nightly ;  and  who  later  on  ap- 
peared in  the  difficult  role  of  "  Yalentina "  in  Les 
Huguenots,  at  once  taking  a  firm  hold  on  the 
public. 

We  were  now  approaching  the  second  great 
Cincinnati  Opera  Festival.  I  will,  therefore,  take 
the  reader  once  more  with  me  to  that  city. 


266  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEMOIRS. 

The  Opera  Festival  of  1882  opened  on  February 
13th  with  immense  success  by  a  grand  performance 
of  Meyerbeer's  Huguenotst  the  audience,  an  im- 
mense and  distinguished  gathering,  numbering  over 
o,000  persons,  the  representatives  of  the  wealth,  the 
beauty,  and  the  culture  of  the  city. 

As  early  as  six  o'clock  people  began  to  assemble 
outside  the  Music  Hall,  the  scene  of  so  many  pre- 
vious triumphs,  and  long  before  the  commencement 
of  the  opera  every  seat  was  occupied,  and  every 
available  inch  of  standing  room  likewise. 

At  a  quarter  to  eight  the  opera  began,  a  band 
composed  of  150  selected  professors  occupying  the 
orchestra  under  the  veteran  Arditi.  The  opera  was 
a  signal  success,  and  went  smoothly  throughout ;  the 
grand  "  Benediction  des  Poignards  ''  being  executed 
marvellously  by  a  chorus  composed  of  400  trained 
voices.  The  acoustic  properties  of  the  hall  were 
simply  perfect.  Even  in  the  extreme  rear  of  the 
gallery,  from  where  the  artists  on  the  stage  ap- 
peared the  size  of  Liliputians,  the  softest  tones 
could  be  distinctly  heard. 

At  the  close  of  the  performance,  however,  an 
unfortunate  accident  occurred,  which  deprived  me 
of  my  prima  donna  for  the  remainder  of  my  tour. 

Just  as  the  curtain  fell,  when  "  Marcel,"  "  Raoul," 
and  "  Valentine  "  were  shot  by  the  Catholic  Guards, 
the  guns  were  pointed  too  near  Mdlle.  Rossini,  who 
got  touched  in  the  face,  and  was  further  hurt  whilst 
falling.  She  had,  therefore,  to  be  carried  home. 


CINCINNATI  OPERA  FESTIVAL.  267 

I  omitted  to  tell  the  reader  that  some  weeks 
before  I  had  succeeded  in  engaging  Mdme.  Patti 
to  take  part  in  this  Festival,  for  which  I  paid  her 
£1,600  a  night,  being  the  largest  amount  this 
invaluable  lady  has  ever  received  in  the  shape  of 
salary. 

She  was  announced  to  appear  on  the  second 
evening  of  the  festival  in  a  concert,  followed  by  the 
fourth  act  of  II  Trovatore.  Ou  arriving  home, 
flushed  with  the  success  of  the  opening  night,  but 
deeply  concerned  about  Mdlle.  Rossini,  whom  I  had 
just  left,  I  received  a  letter  from  Mdme.  Patti's 
agent,  informing  me  that  she  was  suffering  from  a 
severe  cold,  so  that  it  was  feared  she  would  be 
unable  to  appear  the  following  evening. 

I  at  once  sought  Colonel  Nichols,  and  informed 
him  of  this,  desiring  him  kindly  to  accompany  me  to 
Mdme.  Patti's  with  the  leading  physician  of  the 
city,  who  found  the  unwelcome  tidings  to  be  per- 
fectly true.  No  alternative  was  left  but  to  issue  an 
explicit  announcement  to  the  public,  postponing 
Mdme.  Patti's  appearance  until  the  following  Thurs- 
day afternoon  at  two  o'clock.  I  therefore  sub- 
stituted the  opera  Faust  the  following  evening, 
refunding  their  money  to  purchasers,  or  exchanging 
their  tickets  for  the  night  on  which  Mdme.  Patti 
was  to  appear.  This,  of  course,  needed  a  great  deal 
of  care  and  attention,  and  occupied  me  the  greater 
portion  of  the  night  on  account  of  the  vast  number 
of  tickets  to  be  provided  for  in  the  exchanges.  I 


268  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

am  happy  to  say  that  there  was  no  confusion ;  and 
the  public  eventually  became  satisfied  with  the 
arrangement  made. 

On  the  Wednesday  afternoon  the  opera  of  Carmen 
was  given,  with  Campanini,  Del  Puente,  Dotti,  and 
Minnie  Hauk  in  the  principal  characters.  In  the 
evening  Ftdelio  was  produced  with  a  powerful  cast, 
and  with  300  extra  voices  added  for  the  celebrated 
Chorus  of  Prisoners,  the  receipts  reaching  their 
maximum  on  that  occasion. 

Mdme.  Patti,  unfortunately,  made  but  slow  pro- 
gress towards  recovery,  and  it  was  consequently 
decided  to  further  postpone  her  appearance  until 
the  following  Saturday  night,  it  being  again  neces- 
sary to  inform  the  public  as  to  the  cause. 

Various  conflicting  rumours  at  once  got  into 
circulation  as  to  the  Patti  trouble.  After  it  had 
been  announced  that  the  capricious  Diva  could  not 
sing  many  refused  flatly  to  believe  in  the  reason 
assigned,  namely,  that  she  had  a  sore  throat. 
Others  declared  that  Patti  was  a  little  stubborn, 
self-willed  person,  and  had  done  this  expressly  "  to 
spite  Mapleson."  Inquiries  were  set  about  in  all 
directions. 

Newspapers  sent  their  reporters  hundreds  of 
miles  to  discover  the  state  of  Patti's  health  before 
she  had  quitted  Detroit  to  come  on  to  the  Festival. 
Malicious  people  even  went  so  far  as  to  say  that 
Patti,  like  Rip  Van  Winkle,  was  fond  of  "  schnapps," 
on  the  insufficient  ground  that,  prior  to  starting, 


PAT  ITS  INDISPOSITION.  269 

she  had  purchased  a  bottle  of  Mumm's  "  extra  dry." 
Even  this  turned  out  to  be  a  mistake,  for,  in  reply- 
to  an  inquiry  made,  a  special  despatch  was  received 
from  Detroit  by  the  Cincinnati  Gazette,  stating  that 
"  the  bills  of  Patti  at  the  Detroit  Hotel  show  that 
during  her  entire  stay  in  that  city  only  two  quarts 
of  wine  were  consumed,  and  the  hotel  waiters  state 
they  think  Nicolini  drank  the  most  of  it.  Further, 
the  landlord  stated  that  none  of  the  party  were 
noticeably  intoxicated  during  their  stay  in  his  hotel, 
showing  there  could  be  no  truth  whatever  in  the 
statement  that  Patti  was  under  the  influence  of 
liquor." 

An  evening  paper  published  the  following : — 
"  The  explanation  that  Patti  caught  cold  whilst 
driving  in  this  city  is  strengthened  by  the  fact 
that  she  at  least  had  a  good  opportunity  for  doing 
so,  as  she  was  driving  most  of  the  time  during  the 
previous  day.  On  our  reporter  inquiring  at  the 
stables,  he  ascertained  that  her  carriage  bill  for  her 
drive  amounted  to  55  dollars."  Dr.  J.  D.  Buck, 
who  attended  her,  informed  the  newspaper  reporter 
that  "  Mdme.  Patti  was  undoubtedly  ill  of  a  cold, 
but  she  was  rapidly  improving." 

Meanwhile  Dr.  F.  Forchheimer,  physician  to  the 
College  of  Music,  was  also  sent  to  inspect  the  larynx 
of  the  prima  donna,  and  he  confirmed  what  the 
previous  doctor  had  said. 

The  ticket  speculators,  however,  lost  nothing  by 
the  affair,  the  city  being  very  famous  for  matinee 


270  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEMOIRS. 

performances,  and  as  the  ladies  came  forward  in 
great  numbers  at  five  dollars  apiece  for  the  purpose 
of  showing  their  new  toilettes,  very  few  returned 
after  once  entering  the  doors.  Each  of  the  audiences 
for  Carmen  and  Fidelia  numbered  8,000  people. 

On  Friday  evening  I  produced  Mozart's  Magic 
Flute;  and  on  Saturday  a  magnificent  representation 
•with  complete  scenic  effects  was  given  of  William 
Tell,  where  again  my  increased  chorus  of  400  did 
very  effective  work,  the  voices  coming  out  with  full 
freshness  and  vigour.  So  good  a  chorus  had  never 
been  heard  on  the  operatic  stage  before.  The 
orchestra,  too,  particularly  distinguished  itself.  The 
overture,  which  musically  embodies  the  whole  opera, 
was  given  with  such  precision,  correctness  of  tempo, 
and  delicacy  of  colour  that  it  called  forth  at  once  an 
encore. 

On  the  Saturday  morning  a  grand  performance 
of  Lohengrin  was  given,  and  in  the  evening  Mdme. 
Patti  was  enabled  to  appear,  the  first  part  being 
devoted  to  a  concert,  while  the  second  was  composed 
of  the  fourth  act  of  Trovatore. 

As  the  success  of  the  Festival  kept  on  increasing 
we  resolved  to  give  an  extra  performance,  for  which 
purpose  an  engagement  was  entered  into  with  Mdme. 
Patti  for  the  following  Monday,  when  she  appeared 
as  "  Margherita  M  in  Faust. 

I  afterwards  visited  Detroit,  Buffalo,  Cleveland, 
Syracuse,  and  Albany,  returning  to  New  York  for 
the  usual  spring  season,  and  there  performing 


PRODUCTION  OF  L'AFJUCAINE.  271 

Fidelia,  Huguenots,  Lohengrin,  Carmen,  William 
Tell,  and  Faust. 

In  the  meanwhile  I  had  put  in  rehearsal  Meyerbeer's 
A/ricaine,  which  was  placed  on  the  stage  at  consider- 
able expense,  all  the  costumes,  scenery,  dresses,  and 
armour  being  entirely  new,  and  the  stage  being 
occupied  by  some  400  persons.  The  gorgeous  revival 
of  VAfricaine  proved  an  extraordinary  success.  The 
audience  fairly  packed  the  large  house  nightly,  the 
fine  spectacle  presented  in  the  third  and  fourth  acts 
causing  great  enthusiasm.  Miss  Hauk  undertook 
the  part  of  "  Selika,"  and  was  particularly  success- 
ful from  a  dramatic  point  of  view,  whilst  Signor 
Galassi  and  Campanini  found  great  opportunities 
for  the  display  of  their  vocal  abilities.  The 
great  ship  scene  of  the  third  act  created  a  perfect 
furore.  So  anxious  was  I  that  the  acting  of  the 
Indians  on  boarding  the  ship  should  create  a  sensa- 
tion, that  I  went  to  Union  Square  and  from  the 
various  agencies  engaged  some  12  or  15  actors,  who 
were  then  out  of  employment,  and  whose  make-up 
with  the  tattoo  marks  and  their  realistic  fighting 
made  such  an  impression  that  on  the  conclusion  of 
the  scene  the  curtain  had  to  be  raised. 

The  grand  march,  too,  in  the  fourth  act  created  a 
sensation,  equally  with  the  magnificent  spectacle 
and  the  gorgeous  palanquin  in  which  "  Selika " 
enters  accompanied  by  "  Nelusko."  I  had  re- 
quested Brad  well  to  design  for  me  a  full-sized 
elephant  with  a  palanquin  on  its  back,  iu  which 


272  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

people  were  seated,  the  interior  of  the  elephant 
being  occupied  and  kept  firm  by  two  stalwart 
policemen. 

The  scenery  was  of  the  most  gorgeous  descrip- 
tion, specially  painted  for  me  by  Magnani,  who  sur- 
passed even  his  previous  efforts.  L'Africaine  was 
repeated  for  five  or  six  consecutive  nights  to  crowded 
houses. 

On  one  occasion  we  had  to  perform  L'Africaine 
on  consecutive  nights  in  New  York  and  Phila- 
delphia, which  entailed  the  removal  of  the  whole  of 
the  scenery  and  dresses,  likewise  the  transport  of 
the  whole  of  the  supernumeraries,  ballet,  etc., 
numbering  altogether  400  persons;  and  we  had, 
moreover,  to  return  the  same  evening  after  the 
performance  to  New  York,  in  which  city  the  work 
was  to  be  repeated  the  following  night. 

The  supernumeraries,  with  their  blackened  faces, 
and  the  Indians  with  their  tattoo  marks,  caused  a 
great  sensation  at  the  railway  station  on  the  return 
journey,  as  there  was  no  time  to  think  of  washing 
them.  "We  only  reached  New  York  the  next  morn- 
ing at  six  o'clock,  when  again  the  early  morning 
public  were  startled  by  the  arrival  of  these  sable 
gentry  under  a  blazing  sun. 

We  remained  in  New  York  for  further  represen- 
tations, when  I  revived  Verdi's  Ernani,  Don 
Giovanni,  Huguenots,  etc. 


CHAPTER   XVHL 

I  "ENGAGE  PATTI — MY  MILITARY  EXPERIENCE — INFLUENCING 
ELECTORS — OPERATIC  JOINT  STOCK  COMPANY — OBJEC- 
TIONS TO  ENGLISH  MONOPOLY — PATTI  IN  NEW  YORK. 

ABOUT  this  time  I  set  to  work  for  the  purpose  of 
engaging  Adelina  Patti  for  my  ensuing  season,  and 
sent  a  letter  to  all  the  200  stockholders  of  the 
Academy  (who  occupied  free  seats)  to  know  what 
amount  they  would  contribute  towards  the  accom- 
plishment of  my  object.  Mr.  Pierre  Lorillard  wrote 
to  me  that  in  case  I  should  be  short  he  would  donate 
1,000  dollars  beyond  the  amount  he  then  con- 
tributed should  Patti  sing  at  the  Academy  the  next 
winter.  I  replied  that  I  simply  required  each  stock- 
holder to  contribute  three  dollars  a  seat  for  the 
Patti  nights  in  order  to  aid  me  in  carrying  out  this 
much-desired  engagement. 

I  regret  to  say  that  many  of  the  stockholders  sent 
me  no  response  whatever.  Others  destroyed  the 
value  of  their  consent  by  adding  that  it  was  only  to 

VOL.    I.  T 


274  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

be  given  if  all  the  other  shareholders  agreed  to  do 
the  same. 

Another  great  difficulty  presented  itself.  I  was 
called  upon  to  deposit  no  less  than  £11,000  at 
Belmont' s  bank  as  caution  money  on  the  signing  of 
the  contract.  This  difficulty  I  ultimately  got  over 
through  the  kindness  of  August  Belmont,  who 
guaranteed  Mdme.  Patti's  deposit,  I  at  the  same 
time  assigning  to  Mr.  Belmont  the  whole  of  my  sub- 
scriptions. The  agreement  with  Mdme.  Patti  was, 
therefore,  duly  signed. 

The  conclusion  of  this  contract  made  a  great 
sensation.  When  it  became  known  that  Mdrne.  Patti 
was  to  return  the  following  season,  numbers  of 
applications  were  made  for  subscriptions,  although 
it  was  six  months  before  the  opening. 

About  this  time  the  building  of  the  new  Metro- 
politan Opera-house  had  been  resumed  in  earnest,  in 
order  that  it  might  be  completed  by  the  following 
spring. 

The  season  shortly  afterwards  closed  with  the 
benefits  of  the  various  singers,  I  taking  the  last 
night,  when  I  gave  acts  of  four  different  operas, 
namely,  Faust,  Daughter  of  the  Regiment,  Rut/  Bias, 
and  Africaine,  with  a  new  ballet. 

Having  secured  Mdrae.  Patti  for  the  ensuing 
season,  I  endeavoured  to  effect  an  engagement  also 
with  Mdrae.  Gerster,  who  was  then  in  New  York, 
having  returned  from  New  Orleans,  and  being  now 
on  her  way  to  England.  I  only  succeeded,  however, 


22™  REG*-  N.G.S.N.Y.  275 

in  securing  her  services  for  the  following  morning, 
when  an  early  matinee  had  to  be  given  prior  to  the 
departure  of  the  Company  for  Europe  in  the  after- 
noon, the  receipts  on  that  occasion  reaching  no  less 
than  9,000  dollars. 

This  year  the  Americans  paid  me  the  compliment 
of  making  me  an  honorary  member  of  the  22nd 
Regiment,  with  rank  corresponding  to  my  own 
actual  rank  in  the  English  volunteers.  But  beyond 
attending  a  couple  of  balls  and  some  competition 
drills  in  the  uniform  of  the  regiment  I  had  never 
time  enough  to  profit  by  the  privileges  extended  to 
me  in  so  friendly  a  manner. 

I  must  not  forget  among  my  volunteering  remi- 
niscences a  rather  dramatic  incident  which  occurred 
at  HerMajesty's  Theatre  in  the  year  1860,  when  I  had 
just  joined  the  Honorable  Artillery  Company,  and,  as 
yet  but  little  instructed  in  the  mysteries  of  drill,  was 
anxious  to  qualify  myself  as  soon  as  possible  for 
admission  into  line.  With  this  view  I  spent  every 
spare  moment  in  practice,  sometimes  with  the  Scots 
Guards  at  St.  George's  Barracks,  Trafalgar  Square, 
and  often  in  the  evening,  when  some  operatic  repre- 
sentation was  actually  going  on,  at  Her  Majesty's 
Theatre,  where  I  utilized  the  services  of  the  guard 
of  honour  in  attendance.  The  first  time  I  carried 
out  what  had  struck  me  as  rather  a  happy  idea  I 
was  putting  the  squad  of  guardsmen  through  the 
bayonet  exercise  in  the  Ballet  practice  room.  I  had 
just  given  the  orders,  "Advance,  advance,  point !  " 


276  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

when  the  door  opened,  and  Lewis,  the  treasurer, 
appeared,  bearing  in  his  hand  a  bag  which  held  the 
receipts  of  the  evening.  The  word  "  point ! " 
brought  the  bayonets  of  the  guardsmen  almost  into 
contact  with  the  breast  of  the  startled  official,  who, 
uttering  a  shriek  and  dropping  the  money-bags, 
turned  and  fled. 

So  scared  was  he  that  not  until  some  time  after- 
wards did  he  quite  recover  himself.  Had  he  fancied 
in  his  terror  that  the  guard  had  suddenly  invaded 
the  theatre  and  prepared  an  ambuscade  in  order  to 
rob  the  treasurer  of  the  night's  receipts  ?  He  could 
give  no  explanation  on  the  subject.  The  sight  of 
the  red-coats,  the  authoritative  cry  of  "  Point !  "  and 
the  rapid  presentation  of  the  bayonets,  which  all 
but  pierced  him,  had  the  effect  of  depriving  him  for 
a  time  of  his  wits.  No  other  account  could  poor 
Lewis  give  of  the  matter. 

In  these  degenerate  times  it  is  considered  enough 
at  one  of  the  Royal  Theatres  to  station  outside  during 
the  performance  a  sergeant's  guard ;  and  Mr. 
Augustus  Harris  is  modest  enough  to  consider  a 
corporal's  guard  sufficient.  In  former  days,  how- 
ever, Her  Majesty's  Theatre  was  almost  always 
during  a  performance  under  the  care  of  a  captain's 
guard,  the  officers  being  provided  for  inside,  where 
the  captain,  the  lieutenant,  and  the  ensign  occupied 
stalls  one,  two,  and  three,  specially  reserved  for 
them. 

Three  other  stalls  used,  at  this  time,  to  be  re- 


MY  MILITARY  EXPElilENCE.  277 

served  for  the  Captain  of  the  Body-Guard,  the  Exon 
in  Waiting,  and  the  Clerk  of  the  Cheque. 

To  show  that  my  military  studies  and  military 
labours  of  the  last  twenty-eight  years  have  not  been 
altogether  in  vain,  I  may  here  append  a  few  letters 
from  various  commanding  officers  and  adjutants 
with  whom  I  have  at  various  times  done  duty. 

During  my  English  provincial  tours  I  have  for 
many  years,  thanks  to  the  kindness  of  H.R.H.  the 
Commander-in-Chief,  been  enabled  to  do  duty  with 
a  number  of  different  regular  regiments,  whose 
officers  have  done  me,  moreover,  the  honour  of 
making  me  free  of  their  mess.  Sometimes,  too,  the 
Colonel  of  the  regiment  has  been  good  enough  to 
place  his  troops  under  my  command.  I  have  the 
pleasantest  recollections  of  having,  in  the  course  of 
my  various  provincial  tours,  worked  and  dined  with 
the  officers  of,  I  can  scarcely  say  how  many  regi- 
ments. Here  are  some  of  the  letters  which,  on  my 
taking  leave,  I  received  from  the  commanding 
officers  or  adjutants  of  those  corps  :— 

"  Richmond  Barracks,  Dublin, 

"  Dec.  14,  1869. 

"  I  certify  that  Lieutenant-Colonel  Mapleson,  6th 
Tower  Hamlets  Rifles,  has  drilled  regularly  under 
my  supervision  from  the  4th  of  September,  1869, 
until  the  9th  of  October,  1869.  During  this  period 
he  went  regularly  through  company  drill,  and  for  the 
last  fortnight  took  command  of  the  Battalion;  he 


278  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

on  joining  being  well  up  to  his  work  and  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  theory  of  drill.  On  leaving  I 
considered  him  well  qualified  to  take  command  of  a 
regiment  in  the  field.  He  took  the  greatest  interest 
in  his  work,  and  went  in  for  mastering  the  minutiae 
of  drill  with  great  perseverance. 

"C.    J.    BUKNETT, 

"  Captain  and  Adjutant  2/15  Regiment." 

"  Salford  Barracks,  Manchester, 

"  May  6,  1870. 

•'  I  hereby  testify  to  the  capabilities  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Mapleson  in  drill  during  the  time  I  had 
command  of  the  100th  Regiment  at  Manchester.  He 
drilled  the  Battalion  several  times,  and  from  the 
report  of  the  Adjutant  I  have  no  hesitation  in  stating 
that  few  officers  are  superior  to  him  in  the  knowledge 
of  battalion  manoeuvres. 

"H.  COOKE, 
"  Major  Commanding  100th  Regiment." 

"  Gallowgate  Barracks,  Glasgow, 

"  May  26,  1870. 

"I  certify  that  Colonel  J.  H.  Mapleson,  Honble. 
Artillery  Company,  was  drilling  with  the  2nd 
Battalion  5th  Fusiliers,  then  under  my  command, 
and  that  he  showed  considerable  proficiency  in 
company  and  battalion  drill. 

"GKOKGE  GARDEN, 
"  Major  2nd  Battalion  5th.  Fusiliers.** 


REGIMENTAL  CERTIFICATES.  279 

"  Junior  United  Service  Club, 

"November  1,1871. 

"  I  have  much  pleasure  in  testifying  as  to  Colonel 
Mapleson's  thorough  knowledge  of  the  *  Field 
Exercise  Book,'  etc.,  etc.,  and  I  feel  convinced 
from  what  I  saw  of  him  whilst  attached  to  my 
regiment  that  he  could  handle  it  under  any  circum- 
stances. 

"  J.  CLOWES  HINDS, 

"  Major  40th  Regiment.' 

"  Beggars'  Bush  Barracks,  Dublin, 

"January  13,  1871. 

"  Lieutenant- Colonel  Mapleson  drilled  with  the 
1st  Battalion  Scots  Fusilier  Guards  during  the 
autumn  of  1870.  He  was  thoroughly  up  in  com- 
pany and  battalion  drill,  more  especially  the  latter, 
and  is  perfectly  able  to  drill  the  Battalion. 
"  J.  W.  WAIKER, 

"  Captain  and  Adjutant 
"  1st  Battalion  Scots  Fusilier  Guards." 

"Glasgow,  October  30,  1871. 
"  Lieutenant-Colonel  Mapleson  has  during  the 
last  month  frequently  attended  the  parades  of  my 
regiment.  He  has  both  taken  command  of  a  com- 
pany at  battalion  drill  and  has  also  manoeuvred  the 
Battalion  himself,  in  both  situations,  showing  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  Infantry  Field  Exercise. 

"J.  C.  RATTRAY, 
"  Colonel  Commanding  90th  Light  Infantry." 


280  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

"  Edinburgh  Castle, 

"May  21,  1873. 

"  Certified  that  Colonel  James  H.  Mapleson  was 
attached  to  the  93rd  Highlanders  for  drill.  I  con- 
sider  him  able  to  drill  a  squad,  company,  or  battalion 
according  to  the  Field  Exercise,  and  fully  impart 
instruction  therein. 

"  FITZEOT  MACPHEBSON, 
"Adjutant  93rd  Sutherland  Highlanders." 

*'  Infantry  Barracks,  Windsor, 

"  July  7,  1873. 

"  This  is  to  certify  that  Colonel  Mapleson  was 
attached  for  drill  to  the  1st  Battalion  Scots  Guards 
during  the  winter  months ;  that  he  is  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  battalion  drill,  and  perfectly  com- 
petent to  drill  the  Battalion  either  singly  or  in 
brigade. 

"  J.  W.  WALKER, 

"  Captain  and  Adjutant  1st  Battalion  Scots 
Guards." 

"  Edinburgh  Castle,  N.B., 

"April  10,  1875. 

"  I  certify  that  during  the  stay  of  Colonel  Maple  - 
son  at  Edinburgh  he  attended  regularly  all  parades 
of  the  90th  Light  Infantry,  and  manifested  thorough 
knowledge  of  company  and  battalion  drill.  He  has 
a  good  '  word  of  command,*  and  nothing  could 


REGIMENTAL   CERTIFICATES.  281 

exceed  his  zeal  for  military  information,  which  he  is 
fully  in  possession  of. 

"  H.  W.  PALMER, 
"  Major  Commanding  90th  Light  Infantry." 

"  "Wellington  Barracks, 

"  January  10,  1874. 

**  We  certify  that  Lieutenant-Colonel  Mapleson, 
of  the  Tower  Hamlets  Rifle  Brigade,  is  conversant 
with  the  drill  of  a  company  and  of  a  battalion,  and 
able  to  give  instruction  in  the  same. 

'*  That  he  can  command  a  battalion  in  brigade. 
"  That  he  is  competent  to  superintend  instruction 
in  aiming   and  position   drill,  and  to  superintend 
blank  firing  and  ball  practice. 

"  That  he  is  acquainted  with  the  proper  mode  of 
route  marching  and  the  duties  of  guards. 
"  Also  that  he  can  ride. 

"Also  that  he  is  acquainted  with  the  mode  of 
posting  picquets  and  their  sentries  and  the  duties  of 
orderly  officer. 

"  L.  E.  PHILLIPS, 
"  Colonel  2nd  Battalion  Grenadier  Guards. 

"  E.  ANTBOBUS, 

"  Captain  and  Adjutant  2nd  Battalion  Grenadier 
Guards. 

"  Approved 

"  EDWARD  SAXE  WEIMAR, 

"  Major-General  Commanding  Home  District.'* 


282  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Among  my  experiences  of  exercise  and  drill  I 
remember  an  incident  in  connection  with  a  Scottish 
regiment  which,  though  I  cannot  very  well  narrate 
it  in  minute  detail,  I  can  say  enough  to  make  the 
whole  story  intelligible  to  those  who  have  worn  a  kilt. 
At  Edinburgh,  in  1873,  the  93rd  Highlanders 
were  one  morning  placed  under  my  orders  in  the 
Queen's  Park  by  the  Commanding  Officer,  at  that 
time  Colonel  Burroughs.  The  regiment  was  on  the 
slope  of  a  hill  looking  downwards.  I  gave  the  word 
to  fire  a  volley  at  a  distance  of  500  yards,  and  my 
military  readers  are  aware  that  at  a  distance  beyond 
200  yards  the  position  for  firing  is  the  kneeling  one. 

A  great  number  of  persons  were  looking  on. 
Suddenly  an  adjutant  rode  up  to  me,  and  point- 
ing to  the  crowd  exclaimed  — 

"For  heaven's   sake    give   the   word,    'As  you 

I   *   J' 

were! 

Friends  have  often  asked  me  how,  occupied,  ab- 
sorbed, distracted  as  I  must  have  been  by  the  affairs 
of  a  great  operatic  establishment,  I  could  neverthe- 
less find  time,  leisure,  and  even  strong  inclination 
for  military  pursuits.  The  simple  explanation  is 
that  I  needed  diversion  from  my  ordinary  labours, 
and  that  I  found  this  in  the  active  duties  of  a  volun- 
teer officer.  Frequently  at  the  end  of  a  long 
rehearsal  I  have,  without  finding  time  to  dine,  had 
to  put  on  my  uniform,  get  on  horseback,  and  hurry 
to  take  the  command  of  my  regiment  in  the  Regent's 


BLONDIN.  283 

or  in  Hyde  Park.  The  entire  change  of  occupation 
was,  I  am  convinced,  the  best  possible  relaxation  I 
could  have.  I  never  could  have  recruited  my  ener- 
gies by  simple  idleness,  which,  besides  being  in  my 
case  intolerable,  is  apt  to  lead  one  into  scrapes. 

Many  years  ago,  at  the  beginning  of  the  volunteer 
movement,  at  which  time  I  was  still  associated  with 
Mr  E.  T.  Smith,  I  qualified  myself  for  the  duties  of 
sergeant,  and  used  to  receive  half-a-guinea  a  time 
from  the  corps  for  drilling  recruits,  who  came  to  us, 
naturally  under  the  circumstances,  in  the  rawest 
condition.  My  reflection  (not,  perhaps,  a  particu- 
larly new  one)  as  to  the  perils  of  idleness  was  for- 
cibly illustrated  when,  a  short  time  afterwards,  I 
found  myself  at  Walton-on-the-Naze  doing  duty 
with  a  battery.  Anything  more  hopelessly  dull 
than  that  place  when  drill  was  once  at  an  end,  can 
scarcely  be  imagined.  At  last  I  could  stand  it  no 
longer,  and  was  obliged  to  devise  some  means  of 
diversion,  which  if  culpable  was,  I  hope,  original. 

The  people  of  the  place  told  me  that,  though 
"Walton  was  dull  and  desolate,  there  were  plenty  of 
farmers  in  the  neighbourhood  who  had  buxom 
wives  and  pretty  daughters,  and  that  when  anything 
really  worth  seeing  was  going  on  whole  families 
would  flock  in,  and  render  the  place  quite  lively 
with  their  presence. 

What  would  attract  them?  I  put  the  question  to 
myself  as  an  impresario  just  beginning  his  career, 
but  already  accustomed  to  consider  such  questions. 


284  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEMOIRS. 

Our  artillery  drill  was  evidently  not  enough.  Tho 
great  sensation  of  the  moment  with  the  British 
public  was  Blondin  and  his  tight-rope  perform- 
ances. 

Would  Blondin  fetch  them  ?  I  asked  myself;  and, 
Blondin  himself  being  out  of  the  question,  would 
public  announcements  to  the  effect  that  Blondin 
would  appear  on  a  certain  day  have  the  desired 
result  ? 

A  day  or  two  afterwards  the  walls  of  Walton-on- 
the-Naze  as  well  as  Colchester  were  covered  with 
placards  setting  forth  that  on  a  fixed  day  Blondin 
would  appear  and  walk  on  the  tight-rope  from  the 
end  of  the  pier  to  the  top  of  the  jiotel  in  which  we 
were  staying. 

On  the  day  appointed  the  sun  shone  brightly,  and 
long  before  the  time  at  which  Blondin  was  expected 
an  army  of  holiday  folks  from  the  surrounding  coun- 
try came  in  with  as  many  pretty  girls  as  one  could 
wish  to  see  in  the  somewhat  similar  scene  of  the 
"  statute  fair  "  in  the  opera  of  Martha. 

There  was  no  room  for  the  carts  in  the  stables  of 
the  place,  and  they  had  to  be  packed  close  together 
on  the  beach. 

The  regimental  band  played  on  the  pier,  and  the 
holiday  folk  had,  I  am  sure,  an  agreeable  time. 
Some  disappointment  may  have  been  caused  when 
telegrams  mfac-simile  were  posted  on  the  walls  with 
the  information  that  Blondin  from  indisposition 
would  be  unable  to  appear.  But  this  was  atoner1 


ELECTIONEERING.  285 

for  by  an  announcement  that  in  lieu  of  the  tight- 
rope performance  there  would  be  a  grand  display  of 
fireworks;  and  the  pyrotechnics,  which  the  orga- 
nizers of  the  hoax  paid  for,  went  off  most  brilliantly. 

At  one  time,  moreover,  I  used  to  find  solace  from 
my  managerial  cares  in  the  pursuit  of  politics,  and, 
with  or  without  justification,  I  nourish  the  hope  that 
I  did  something  towards  securing  the  return  of  Mr. 
W.  H.  Smith  for  Westminster.  I  was  an  active 
member  of  his  committee,  both  in  connection  with 
the  elections  which  went  against  him  and  the  subse- 
quent one  which  brought  him  triumphantly  in. 
After  his  second  failure  I  remember  the  late  Mr. 
Lionel  Lawson  saying  to  me  — 

"  The  thing  is  impossible ;  I  would  not  mind 
giving  you  a  written  promise  to  pay  you  £10,000  if 
ever  he  gets  in." 

Lists  were  at  that  time  in  the  hands  of  the  regis- 
tration committees,  showing  on  which  side  each 
elector  gave  his  vote.  It  seemed  useless  to  interfere 
with  those  who  were  marked  "  L,"  as  voting  firmly 
on  the  Liberal  side.  But  among  the  Westminster 
shop-keepers  there  were  numbers  who  were  marked 
"  LC,"  who  apparently  did  not  care  on  which 
side  they  voted,  and  who  generally  divided  their 
vote  between  a  Liberal  and  a  Conservative  candi- 
date. With  these  undecided  men  there  was  evi- 
dently something  to  be  done ;  and  I  gave  them  to 
understand  that,  having  strong  Conservative  sympa- 
thies, I  should  feel  it  my  duty  to  place  on  my  free 


28C  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEMOIRS. 

list  those  of  the  undecided  who  could  bring  them- 
selves to  support  that  side. 

As  the  ballot  system  had  just  been  introduced  when 
?.fr.  W.  H.  Smith  was  for  the  first  time  returned,  I 
cannot,  of  course,  say  to  what  extent  my  advocacy 
and  aid  may  have  benefited  him.  But  I  hope,  as 
before  observed,  that  I  did  something  towards  secur- 
ing his  presence  in  Parliament. 

On  my  arrival  in  London  I  was  notified  that  the 
Royal  Italian  Opera,  Covent  Garden,  Limited,  had 
not  yet  been  floated.  But  this  result  was  daily 
expected.  I  was  precluded  then  from  taking 
further  steps  towards  opening  my  London  season 
of  1882,  fearing  that  the  Company  might  be  floated 
just  as  I  started,  in  which  case  I  should  have  to 
close  up  again. 

In  the  meantime,  fire  insurances,  poor  rates,  and 
taxes  generally  kept  on  accumulating,  and  although 
I  notified  that  I  was  ready  to  hand  over  possession 
of  the  theatre,  I  still  could  get  no  reply.  The  con- 
sequence was  that  I  had  to  pay  all  sorts  of  arrears 
whilst  an  action  for  ejectment  was  brought  against 
me  for  having  been  a  few  days  late  in  paying 
the  fire  insurance.  My  landlord,  in  order  to 
keep  his  superior  lease  straight  with  the  Woods 
and  Forests,  had  also  paid  it,  so  that  the 
Company  received  the  money  twice  over.  Con- 
siderable battles  hereupon  commenced  in  the 
law  courts  with  a  view  of  ejecting  me  from  my 
theatre,  and  it  was  not  till  late  in  the  season  that 


OPERATIC  JOINT  STOCK  COMPANY.          287 

the  long-expected  notification  came  that  the  Com- 
pany had  been  floated. 

Tbe  consideration  I  was  to  receive  consisted  of  a 
payment  of  £2,500  in  cash  and  1,000  fully  paid  up 
£10  shares  in  the  new  Company.  I  need  hardly 
inform  the  reader  that  I  never  saw  one  of  the  shares, 
and  could  never  get  them  ;  whilst  all  the  cash  that 
I  received  was  consumed  in  paying  off  the  arrears  of 
ground  rent  of  Her  Majesty's  Theatre,  insurance,  etc., 
whilst  I  was  waiting  for  the  Company  to  be  floated. 

The  main  object  of  the  G-yes  and  of  the  new 
Royal  Italian  Opera,  Covent  Garden,  Limited,  was 
to  obtain  possession  of  the  new  Metropolitan  Opera- 
house,  New  York,  which  was  then  approaching 
completion.  By  the  terms  of  my  agreement  with 
the  Academy  of  Music  in  New  York  I  was  pro- 
hibited from  parting  with  or  assigning  my  interest 
or  any  part  thereof  in  that  building  during  the 
remaining  portion  of  my  tenancy,  which  still  had 
two  years  to  run.  The  agreement  in  reference  to 
my  services  for  the  next  season  at  the  Academy 
had  to  be  drawn  so  as  to  make  it  appear  that  I  had 
not  in  any  way  parted  with  my  interest  or  any 
portion  thereof ;  although  by  another  agreement  it 
was  stipulated  that  I  ran  no  pecuniary  risks  what- 
ever in  connection  with  the  approaching  season, 
simply  receiving  my  personal  expenses,  my  salary 
of  £1,000  a  year,  and  my  50  per  cent,  of  the  profits, 
while  retaining,  as  hitherto,  the  sole  direction  of  the 
whole  concern. 


288  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

On  starting  from  Europe,  the  Royal  Italian  Opera 
Company,  Limited,  gave  me  a  financial  secretary  to 
accompany  me ;  and  I  was  also  assisted  by  Com- 
mander Gye  as  treasurer.  I  formed,  as  I  considered, 
a  most  brilliant  Company,  which  included  Mdme. 
Adelina  Patti,  Mdlle.  Savio,  a  new  singer  whom 
I  had  heard  in  Italy,  Mdlle.  Rossini,  Mdlle.  Minnie 
Hauk,  Mdrae.  Fursch-Madi,  Mdlle.  Dotti,  Mdlle. 
Yalleria,  Mdlle.  Zagury,  Mdme.  Scalchi,  Signori 
Mierzwinski,  Ravelli,  Campanini,  Nicolini,  Galassi, 
Del  Puente,  and  Durat,  a  Parisian  baritone  of  some 
note.  I  augmented  the  strength  of  the  chorus,  and 
when  on  the  point  of  publishing  my  prospectus  I 
found  that  the  general  manager  in  London  had 
added  a  Mdlle.  Berghi,  without  my  knowledge,  who 
on  her  appearance  later  on  made  probably  the 
greatest  fiasco  ever  known  in  America.  He  also, 
however,  added  his  wife,  Mdme.  Albani,  whose 
brilliant  talents  added  lustre  to  the  season.  We 
began,  therefore,  in  grand  style,  and  had  an 
enormous  subscription. 

The  opera  troupe  arrived  in  New  York  early  in 
October,  and  was  met  in  the  usual  way  by  steamers 
and  bands  of  music  up  the  bay.  These  accompanied 
us  to  the  wharf,  where  the  party  landed  amidst 
great  cheering. 

"Whilst  on  board  I  organized  a  grand  opera 
concert,  in  which  the  whole  of  the  principal  singers 
and  chorus  took  part,  under  the  direction  of  Arditi, 
in  aid  of  the  Liverpool  Sailors'  Orphanage.  The 


OBJECTIONS  TO  ENGLISH  MONOPOLY.       289 

saloon  was  elegantly  decorated  for  the  occasion,  and, 
without  exception,  every  passenger  aided  the  scheme 
by  attendance  and  contributions.  I  directed  the 
musical  arrangements,  whilst  the  prince  of  American 
orators,  the  Hon.  Daniel  Dogherty,  presided.  Over 
£50  was  realized  for  the  charity. 

It  was  now  announced  by  the  Royal  Italian 
Opera  Company,  Limited,  that  on  the  completion  of 
the  new  Metropolitan  Opera-house,  which  Gye  felt 
so  sure  of  obtaining,  the  Academy  would  be  closed, 
so  that  a  monopoly  of  Italian  Opera  would  thus  be 
established  in  New  York. 

The  papers  took  the  idea  up  warmly,  but  in  a 
hostile  spirit  ;  the  Herald  declaring  in  a  leading 
article  that  if  the  Royal  Italian  Opera,  Covent 
Garden,  Limited,  of  London,  ever  expected  to 
monopolize  opera  in  America  it  was  very  much  mis- 
taken. The  people  in  America,  it  stated,  would 
heartily  encourage  them  in  all  efforts  to  establish 
and  maintain  a  first-class  Opera  in  New  York ;  but 
when  they  talked  of  repeating  the  London  proceeding 
by  closing  up  either  one  of  the  existing  Opera- 
houses  for  the  purpose  of  monopolizing  the  busi- 
ness, they  might  as  well  understand  that  they  were 
proposing  a  scheme  which  the  American  public 
would  readily  defeat.  It  was  contended  that  New 
York  was  large  enough  for  two  Italian  Opera- 
houses,  and,  if  the  performances  in  both  were 
meritorious,  both  would  bo  well  supported. 

Of    course  all  the  attention   of   the  public    was 

VOL.    I.  W 


290  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEMOIRS. 

concentrated  on  the  expected  arrival  of  Patti, 
which  in  due  course  took  place.  There  was  the 
usual  crowd  on  the  wharf  all  night  awaiting  the 
ship's  arrival.  I  had  left  orders  for  a  telegram  to 
be  sent  to  me  as  soon  as  the  vessel  passed  Fire 
Island  in  order  that  I  might  be  in  time  to  dress  and 
go  down  to  one  of  the  specially  chartered  steamers 
with  Signer  Franchi,  Patti's  agent,  Commander 
Herbert  Gye,  and  a  party  of  artists  and  reporters, 
accompanied  by  military  bands,  fireworks,  etc.  The 
Servia  was  out  in  the  middle  of  the  stream,  and  we 
steamed  up  alongside,  when  we  saw  Patti,  who  had 
been  up  since  half-past  four  in  the  morning,  in 
feverish  anxiety  to  reach  terra  firma. 

Our  band  struck  up  "  God  Save  the  Queen  "  and 
everyone  bared  his  head ;  the  Englishmen  partly 
from  traditional  reverence,  but  most  of  those  present 
from  admiration  of  the  lyric  queen  who  had  come 
for  another  reign  to  the  delighted  people  of  New 
York.  Handshaking  and  greetings  followed. 

After  we  had  got  the  Patti  through  the  Custom 
House  she  was  placed  in  a  carriage  and  taken  to 
the  "Windsor  Hotel,  the  room  being  piled  up  with 
telegrams,  cards,  and  bouquets.  There  was  also  a 
large  set  piece  with  the  word  "  Welcome !  "  em- 
broidered on  it  in  roses.  In  the  evening  there  was 
a  midnight  serenade  in  front  of  the  Windsor  Hotel, 
and  ultimately  la  Diva  had  to  appear  at  the  window, 
when  orchestra  and  chorus,  who  were  outside, 
performed  the  grand  prayer  from  ILombardi.  After 


SYNDICATES  FOR  HEARING  PATTI.          21)1 

three  hearty  cheers  for  Adelina  Patti  people  went 
home,  and  she  was  left  in  peace. 

Mdtne.  Patti  made  her  debut  a  few  days  after- 
wards as  "  Lucia  di  Lammermoor,"  followed  by  the 
Traviata,  etc.  To  describe  in  detail  her  success 
would  be  to  repeat  an  oft-told  tale. 

Amongst  the  numberless  inquiries  at  the  box- 
office  several  were  made  as  to  how  long  Mdme. 
Patti  remained  on  the  stage  in  each  of  the  different 
operas ;  and  the  newspapers  busied  themselves  as  to 
the  number  of  notes  she  sang  in  each  particular 
work ;  larger  demands  for  seats  being  made  on 
those  evenings  when  she  sang  more  notes.  La 
Traviata  generally  carried  off  the  palm,  perhaps 
because  one  journal  had  calculated  the  interest  of 
the  money  accruing  on  her  diamonds,  whilst  she 
was  singing  in  that  work. 

A  party  of  amateurs  would  buy  a  ticket  between 
them,  each  one  taking  20  minutes  of  the  ticket  and 
returning  with  the  pass-out  check  to  the  next. 
Lots  were  drawn  to  decide  who  was  to  go  in  first; 
and  in  the  event  of  anyone  overstaying  his  20 
minutes  he  had  to  pay  for  the  whole  ticket;  cor- 
rectness of  time  being  the  essence  of  the  arrange- 
ment. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

tn  ST?>LCHI — GENERAL  INDISPOSITION — 

ENNOBLES  PATTI — RAVELLI  CONSULTS  HIS 
DOG — THE  COMPANY  VACCINATED — PATTI  EATEN  BY 
MICE — ARRIVAL  OF  ALBANI — CINCINNATI  OPERA 
FESTIVAL  o»  '83 — FREEDOM  OF  THE  CITY. 

I  x<as  getting  very  anxious  about  the  arrival  of 
Scalchi,  who  had  never  yet  appeared  in  New  York, 
and  who  had  lately  been  singing  in  Rio  Janiero 
and  at  Buenos  Ayres.  It  was  not  until  the 
20th  November  that  I  received  notice  of  the 
sighting  of  her  ship,  the  Plato,  from  Rio  Janeiro, 
which  at  length  arrived  on  the  24th,  afttT  a  tem- 
pestuous voyage  of  twenty-two  days.  The  vessel 
had  been  laden  with  coffee,  hundreds  of  boxes  of 
which  had  been  thrown  overboard  to  lighten  it.  Pro- 
visions running  short,  the  passengers  had  mostly  to 
live  on  biscuit  and  coffee,  so  that  Mdme.  Scalchi  on 
her  arrival  was  in  a  very  feeble  state ;  and  in  lieu  of 
going  down  to  the  Academy  to  rehearsal,  as  I  pro- 
posed, took  to  her  bed  and  remained  there  for  nearly 
a  month.  I  was  almost  daily  in  attendance  upon  her. 


OPERA   CHANGED  SEVEN  TIMES.  293 

Early  in  December  I  was  within  a  very  close  shave 
of  closing  the  theatre.  The  opera  announced  for  the 
evening  in  question  was  William  Tell.  At  about  four 
o'clock  T  received  a  doctor's  certificate  from  Mdlle. 
Dotti,  who  performed  the  principal  female  character, 
notifying  me  that  she  had  been  attacked  witli  diph- 
theria. I  therefore  had  to  set  about  to  find  a  sub- 
stitute, having  decided  to  give  the  opera  anyhow. 
Shortly  after  a  notification  came  from  Mierzwinski, 
the  tenor,  who  was  also  indisposed,  though  after  a 
deal  of  trouble  be  promised  to  go  on  and  do  his 
best. 

I  was,  however,  compelled  to  change  the  opera  to 
Lucia  di  Lammermoor,  as  the  lady  who  had  under- 
taken to  replace  the  prima  donna  in  William  Tell  was 
in  such  a  nervous  state.  There  was  no  time  for  a  re- 
hearsal ;  I  therefore  decided  to  give  Lucia  instead. 
On  the  notice  being  sent  to  Mdlle.  Laura  Zagury, 
the  soprano,  she  informed  me  that  although  Lucia 
was  in  the  repertoire  she  furnished  me  on  her 
engagement  she  had  never  sung  that  role.  The 
opera  therefore  had  to  be  changed  to  Aida. 
Orders  had  just  been  given  to  the  various  depart- 
ments as  to  the  scenery,  dresses,  music,  etc.,  when 
the  news  came  that  Mdlle.  Kossini,  whom  I  had 
counted  upon  for  the  principal  part,  was  lying  ill 
at  her  house  in  Fifth  Avenue. 

I  now  changed  the  opera  to  Eigoletto;  but  Mdme. 
Zagury  was  not  ready  with  the  part  of  "  Gilda,'' 
and  absolutely  refused  to  appear.  Les  Huguenots 


294  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

was  next  announced,  it  being  now  half-past  five. 
Everything  was  set  in  motion  for  the  production 
of  that  opera,  when  Mdrae.  Fursch-Madi  declared 
her  inability  to  assume  the  part  of  the  heroine,  as 
she  had  taken  some  medicine,  believing  that  her 
services  would  not  be  required  until  the  early  part 
of  the  following  week.  Thereupon  an  attack  was 
made  on  Mdme.  Savio,  who,  however,  regretted 
that  she  was  unable  to  appear  as  "  Valentine." 

Nothing  was  left  but  to  try  La  Favorita ;  but 
Signor  Ravelli,  who  had  just  finished  a  Carmen  re- 
hearsal, declared  it  would  be  utterly  impossible  for 
him  to  sing  the  role  of  "  Fernando."  Then  Minnie 
Hauk  was  sought  for ;  but  she  was  saving  herself 
for  her  appearance  in  Brooklyn  on  the  morrow,  and 
distinctly  declined. 

I  now  took  a  decision  either  to  perform  La 
Favorita,  or  to  close  up,  as  it  was  already  6.30  p.m. 
I  at  length  persuaded  Signor  Clodio,  one  of  the 
tenors,  to  assume  the  part  of  "  Fernando."  But  a 
new  difficulty  arose,  as,  being  a  very  portly  gentle- 
man, there  were  no  costumes  in  the  house  to  fit  him. 
The  tailors  were  then  set  to  work,  who  promised  to 
have  the  dress  ready  in  time.  At  this  juncture 
word  came  from  Mdme.  Galassi,  who  was  to  have 
taken  the  part  of  "  Leonora,"  that  she  was  in  bed 
suffering,  and  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  her  to 
appear.  I  immediately  went  off  to  Mdme.  Galassi 
myself.  She  assured  me  of  her  willingness  to  do 
her  best ;  but  she  had  two  large  boils  under  her 


KING  KALAKAUA  ENNOBLES  PATTI.         295 

right  arm  which  caused  her  acute  agony.  At  that 
moment  she  nearly  swooned  from  the  pain.  To 
fetch  Dr.  Mott,  our  talented  theatrical  surgeon,  was 
the  work  of  a  moment.  We  raised  her  up  and  the 
boils  were  lanced,  which  at  once  gave  her  relief,  and 
I  got  her  down  to  the  theatre  just  at  five  minutes  to 
eight.  She  had  time  to  dress,  as  "Leonora"  does 
not  appear  until  the  second  act.  The  performance 
went  off  successfully;  I  had  got  out  of  another  serious 
difficulty  after  changing  the  opera  seven  times. 

In  the  midst  of  ray  trouble  a  deputation  arrived 
from  Kalakaua  I.,  King  of  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
informing  me  that  they  were  commanded  by 
his  Majesty  the  King  of  Hawaii  to  confer  on 
Mdme.  Patti  the  Royal  Order  of  Kapirlani.  They 
had  the  diploma  and  jewels  with  them,  and  they 
were  accompanied  by  the  King's  Chamberlain.  I 
had  to  entreat  them  to  wait  "  a  moment "  while 
I  got  through  my  troubles.  That  moment  must 
have  been  nearly  two  hours. 

At  length  we  all  went  off  to  Patti's  hotel, 
when  the  Order  was  conferred  upon  her  in  the 
presence  of  some  intimate  friends.  The  Order  con- 
sisted of  a  jewelled  star,  suspended  by  a  red  and 
white  striped  ribbon,  accompanied  by  the  following 
parchment  document : — 

"  Kalakaua  I.,  King  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  to 
all  who  shall  see  these  presents  greeting,  know  that 
we  have  appointed  and  commissioned,  and  by  these 


296  THE  MAl'LESON  MEMOIRS. 

presents  we  appoint  and  commission,  Mdme.  Patti 
to  be  a  Knight  Companion  of  our  Royal  Order  of 
Kapirlani,  to  exercise  and  enjoy  till  the  rights,  pre- 
eminences, and  privileges  to  the  same  of  right  apper- 
taining, and  to  wear  the  insignia  as  by  decree 
created. 

"  In  testimony  whereof  we  have  caused  these 
letters  to  be  made  patent,  and  the  seal  of  the  Order 
to  be  hereunto  affixed. 

"  Given  under  our  hand,  at  our  palace  at  Honolulu, 
this  8th  day  of  November,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
1882. 

"  KALAKAUA  REX. 

"  By  the  King,  the  Chancellor  of  the  Royal  Order 
of  Kapirlani. 

"(Signed)         CHAULES  H.  JCDD." 

The  season  continued,  and  Lohengrin,  Africaine, 
Huguenots  and  other  important  operas  were  produced. 
The  unfortunate  illness  of  Scalchi  had  long  delayed 
me  from  producing  Semiramide,  which,  however, 
was  at  length  brought  out  on  the  20th  December, 
being  the  last  night  but  two  of  the  season.  Never 
shall  I  forget  the  enthusiasm  of  the  crowded  and 
fashionable  audience  of  that  evening.  Mdme. 
Patti's  exquisite  purity  of  intonation  and  her  breadth 
of  phrasing  filled  the  large  audience  assembled  with 
delight.  At  length  Mdme.  Scalchi  appeared,  and 
she  at  once  proved  herself  an  artist  of  extraordinary 
excellence,  and  a  true  dramatic  singer,  with  a 


RAVELL1  CONSULTS  NIAGARA.  297 

contralto  of  unusual  richness,  volume,  and  compass. 
The  enormous  success  achieved  by  Scalchi  inspired 
la  Diva,  and  it  was  generally  pronounced  that  her 
singing  on  this  occasion  was  the  best  she  had  ever 
given  in  America,  being,  indeed,  the  perfection  of 
vocal  art.  The  whole  performance  was  beyond 
criticism. 

For  the  morning  of  the  following  Saturday,  the 
23rd,  I  announced  the  opera  of  Carmen.  This  was 
to  be  the  closing  matinee  of  the  regular  winter 
season,  and  the  announcement  drew  one  of  the 
largest  assemblages  of  ladies,  there  being  very  few 
gentlemen,  to  the  doors  of  the  Academy. 

It  was  about  three-quarters  of  an  hour  before  the 
opening  of  the  doors  when  Ravelli  sent  word  that 
he  could  not  sing.  It  was  then  too  late  to  change 
the  opera.  I  therefore  rushed  off  to  his  hotel, 
leaving  word  that  the  doors  were  on  no  account  to 
be  opened  until  1  returned. 

I  found  him  in  bed.  Hearing  me  enter  he  slunk 
under  the  clothes,  and  I  could  not  get  him  to  answer 
my  questions.  I  approached  the  bed  to  remove  the 
sheets,  when  a  dog  sprang  out  at  me,  Ravelli's 
favourite  dog  Niagara. 

"  Laissez   moi  dormir  1 "  muttered  the  sluggard. 

oo  * 

as  he  turned  over  on  the  other  side. 

"Get  up,"  I  exclaimed;  "don't  you  understand 
that  you  are  imperilling  my  enterprise  by  lying  in 
bed  and  refusing  to  sing  when  there  is  nothing  the 
matter  with  you  ?  " 


298  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

He  told  me  tbat  he  was  very  tired,  that  he  was 
quite  out  of  sorts,  that  his  voice  was  not  in  good 
order,  and  so  on. 

With  the  aid  of  his  wife,  I  succeeded  in  making 
him  get  up.  He  dressed  himself.  Theu  taking 
him  to  the  piano  I  tried  his  voice,  and  found  that 
there  was  nothing  whatever  the  matter  with  it.  He 
could  sing  perfectly  well. 

Ravelli,  however,  for  some  minutes  still  hesitated. 
In  his  difficulty  he  determined  to  consult  Niagara. 
Appealing  to  an  animal  whose  superior  intelligence 
he  recognized,  Ravelli  said  in  the  French  language  — 

"  Est  ce  que  ton  maitre  doit  chanter  ?  " 

The  dog  growled,  and  Ravelli  interpreted  this 
oracular  response  as  an  order  not  to  sing.  He  tore 
his  clothes  off,  sprang  hurriedly  into  bed,  and  left 
me  to  my  own  resources. 

In  London  I  had  raised  poor  Volpini  almost  from 
the  dead  to  make  him  sing  the  part  of  Faust,  when 
but  for  his  services  I  should  have  had  to  close  my 
theatre.  I  had  induced  George  Bolton  (of  whom  I 
knew  nothing  at  the  time,  except  that  he  had  a  tenor 
voice,  and  that  I  had  nearly  run  over  him  in  a  cab) 
to  undertake  literally  at  a  moment's  notice  the  part 
of  "  Lionel "  in  Martha^  of  which  he  knew  nothing 
until  I  coached  him,  except  one  air.  But  neither  a 
Bolton  nor  a  Volpini  was  now  to  be  found,  and  thanks 
to  my  lazy,  superstitious,  dog-ridden  tenor,  I  had  to 
close  my  theatre  and  send  away  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  audiences  that  New  York  could  produce. 


THE  "SCALPELS."  299 

I  wrote  a  hurried  notice  which  was  put  up  in  manu- 
script just  as  I  had  scribbled  it  down,  to  the  effect 
that  in  consequence  of  Rnvelli's  refusing  without 
explanation  to  sing,  the  theatre  was  closed  for  that 
morning. 

The  excitement  outside  was  prodigious.  Every- 
one, of  course,  said  that  it  was  through  iny  fault  the 
doors  were  shut. 

"  It  is  all  that  Mapleson,"  one  charming  lady  was 
heard  to  exclaim.  "  Wouldn't  I  scratch  his  face  if  I 
had  him  here  I  " 

"Worst  o£  all,  the  "  scalpers "  went  off  with  the 
money  they  had  received  for  tickets  sold  outside  the 
theatre. 

Let  me  here  explain  what  "  scalper "  means.  I 
am  afraid  that  in  America  our  excellent  librarians 
who  do  so  much  for  the  support  of  the  Opera  would 
be  called  "  scalpers;  "  a  scalper  meaning  simply  one 
•who  buys  tickets  at  the  theatre  to  sell  them  at  an 
advance  elsewhere.  The  ferocious  name  bestowed 
upon  these  gentry  shows,  however,  that  their  deal- 
ings are  not  quite  so  honourable  as  those  of  our 
"  booksellers."  For  when  they  had  disposed  of 
their  tickets,  and  the  performance  changed,  or  the 
theatre  by  some  accident  closed,  they  would  walk 
off  without  any  thought  of  restoring  the  money  they 
had  received  for  tickets  now  unavailable.  At  times, 
too,  I  have  caught  them  exhibiting  a  gallery  diagram, 
and  selling  gallery  places  as  orchestra  stalls.  They 
are  now  obliged,  by  a  just  law,  to  take  out  licenses, 


300  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

and  register  their  places  of  abode.  Nor  do  managers 
allow  any  one  of  them  to  buy  more  than  four  tickets 
for  each  representation. 

Meanwhile  the  New  York  fall  season  of  1882 
finished  up  grandly  with  Semiramide,  the  receipts 
reaching  14,000  dollars,  and  the  public  mad  with 
enthusiasm. 

I  afterwards  started  with  the  Company  for 
Baltimore,  where  we  opened  with  rather  less  than 
our  usual  success,  on  account  of  the  small-pox 
which  was  raging  all  over  the  city.  Very  few 
notices  were  given  of  the  opera  in  consequence  of 
three  and  four  columns  a  day  being  occupied  with 
the  crusade  undertaken  against  the  stnull-pox  by 
Mayor  White,  who  had  telegraphed  for  a  large  num- 
ber of  vaccination  physicians  from  various  States, 
determined  as  he  was  to  stamp  out  the  disease. 

The  whole  of  the  twenty  wards  of  the  city  had 
been  placed  under  properly  constituted  medical 
authorities,  and  there  everyone  had  to  be  vaccinated, 
including  the  whole  of  my  Company.  Prima  donnas 
had  to  be  vaccinated  on  the  legs,  whilst  ballet-girls 
were  vaccinated  on  the  arms ;  in  fact  the  theatre  at 
one  time  became  quite  a  hospital. 

However,  we  managed  to  get  through  our  engage- 
ment with  success,  though  Mdme.  Patti  remained 
over  at  Philadelphia,  being  afraid  to  enter  the  city 
of  Baltimore. 

The  production  of  L'Africainet  which  was  new  to 
Baltimore,  was  a  marked  success.  On  terminating 


SCALCUI  AND  THE  LOBSTKRS.  801 

our  engagement  we  went  over  to  Philadelphia,  where 
Patti  made  a  splendid  opening  in  La  Traviata,  the 
vast  theatre  being  crowded  from  floor  to  ceiling. 

The  next  night  we  produced  Aida,  the  Directors 
of  the  Academy  of  Music  having  caused  to  be  painted 
specially  for  the  occasion  some  of  the  most  gorgeous 
Egyptian  scenery  I  have  ever  seen. 

At  five  o'clock  Mdme.  Scalchi  sent  me  word  that  she 
was  very  ill,  and  unable  to  sing.  I  thereupon  went 
for  the  physician,  whom  I  conducted  forthwith  to 
her  hotel.  On  our  arriving  at  the  door  of  heu  apart- 
ment I  saw  a  waiter  going  in  with  some  lobsters, 
salad,  and  roast  duck.  I  immediately  asked  for 
whom  he  was  catering,  and  he  replied  :  "  Mdme. 
Scalchi."  I  waited  a  few  minutes  in  order  to  give 

o 

her  time  to  begin  operations  on  the  duck  and  the 
lobsters ;  and  she  was  recounting  some  amusing 
story  which  ended  in  loud  laughter,  when  I  took 
this  as  my  cue  for  entering. 

Mdme.  Scalchi  could  no  longer  plead  indisposition, 
and  in  due  time  she  came  to  the  theatre. 

Aida  was  a  great  success.  At  two  o'clock  the 
following  afternoon  we  performed  Lucia  with  Adelina 
Patti  to  a  house  containing  over  14,000  dollars. 
In  the  evening  we  gave  L'Africaine,  magnificently 
placed  on  the  vast  stage,  to  receipts  not  far  inferior  ' 
to  those  of  the  morning. 

Prior  to  the  close  of  our  very  successful  engage- 
ment sad  alarm  was  created  all  over  the  city  by  a 
report  in  some  of  the  leading  morning  papers  that 


302  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Mdme.  Pattithe  preceding  night  had  been  devoured 
by  mice.  Several  persons  had  already  applied  at  the 
box  office  for  the  return  of  their  money  on  the 
ground  that  la  Diva  had  ceased  to  breathe. 

On  inquiry  it  turned  out  that  Mdme.  Patti  had 
been  bitten  by  a  mouse  on  the  left  ear.  I  had  better 
tell  the  story  in  the  Diva's  own  words,  as  given 
to  the  reporter  of  the  Philadelphia  Press. 

"  *  So  you  were  bitten  by  rats  last  evening  ?  '  the 
reporter  said. 

"'Oh,  no,  it  was  not  so  bad  as  that,'  replied  Patti, 
laughing  heartily  as  she  recalled  the  adventure. 
*  I  hardly,  however,  like  to  mention  it  at  all,  for  I 
am  really  so  comfortable  in  this  hotel.  They  do  all 
they  can  to  please  me.  When  I  went  to  bed  last 
evening  my  maid  turned  the  clothes  over  for  me  to 
get  in,  when  out  jumped  six  mice — a  complete 
family,  in  fact;  nice  fat  little  fellows.  I  was  not 
frightened  ;  at  least,  I  was  only  astonished.  I  took 
my  bon-bon  box  and  scattered  some  sweetmeats  on 
the  carpet  so  that  the  tiny  intruders  should  have 
some  supper,  and  I  went  to  sleep  without  any  ap- 
prehension. In  the  middle  of  the  night,  how- 
ever, something  disagreeable  occurred,  and  I  was 
awakened  by  a  sharp  pain  in  my  ear.  I  put  my 
hand  to  my  head  when  a  mouse  jumped  to  the  floor, 
and  I  felt  blood  trickling  on  the  side  of  my  cheek. 
I  got  up  and  called  my  maid,  and  examination 
showed  a  bite  on  my  left  ear.  It  bled  a  good  deal, 
and  to-day  my  ear  is  much  swollen.  I  shall  not  put 


PATTI  EATEN  BY  MICK.  303 

any  bon-bons  down  to-night,'  continued  Mdme. 
Patti,  '  and  when  I  sleep  in  the  day  time  I  shall 
place  my  maid  to  act  as  sentry.' '' 

The  reporter,  feeling  that  he  had  passed  one  of  the 
most  delightful  quarters  of  an  hour  in  his  life,  now- 
left  the  apartment. 

When  the  news  got  about  that  Patti  had  been 
bitten  by  a  mouse,  enterprising  makers  and  patentees 
of  mousetraps  approached  her  from  all  sides  with 
specimens  of  their  various  mouse-catching  contriv- 
ances. Some  of  these  were  very  curious.  One  was 
prompt  and  severe  in  its  action,  despatching  the 
mouse  at  the  moment  of  capture  by  a  single  cutting 
blow.  Another  was  apparently  the  work  of  some 
member  of  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty 
to  Animals.  Far  from  killing  the  mouse,  it  pro- 
vided the  little  creature  with  a  wheel,  which,  as  long 
as  it  was  allowed  to  live,  it  could  amuse  itself  by 
turning. 

About  this  time  two  "  sensations  "  occurred.  One 
was  connected  with  Commander  Gye,  who  was 
leaving  the  city  at  an  early  hour,  when  he  was 
robbed  of  his  black  leather  travelling-bag,  contain- 
ing money,  pins,  rings,  Roman  coins,  cigarette 
boxes,  a  cheque  book,  a  cheque  for  4,400  dollars, 
which  I  had  signed  for  Mdme.  Patti's  previous 
night's  salary,  with  other  documents  of  less  value, 
including  Nilsson's  broken  contract. 

The  reports  of  this  robbery,  as  usual,  were  con- 
siderably enlarged,  and  it  afterwards  got  into  cir- 


304  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEMOIRS 

dilation  that  amongst  the  tilings  lost  were  Mime. 
Albani's  jewels,  worth  several  thousands  of  pounds. 
This  cost  Captain  Gye  a  deal  of  inconvenience,  for 
it  brought  down  the  Inland  Revenue  authorities  on 
him.  He  was  accused  of  having  smuggled  in  the 
diamonds  from  abroad,  and  some  considerable  time 
passed  before  all  the  excitement  subsided. 

The  other  "  sensation  "  was  the  invasion  of  the 
basso  Monti's  room  while  he  was  in  bed  and  the 
theft  of  400  dollars  worth  of  jewellery  belonging  to 
him.  This,  too,  caused  a  deal  of  talk  in  the 
papers. 

Our  last  night  was,  indeed,  a  gala  night.  The 
most  brilliant  audience  of  the  whole  season  filled 
every  corner  of  the  theatre,  so  great  was  the 
curiosity  of  the  public  to  see  Mdme.  Patti  and 
Mdme.  Scalchi  together  in  the  same  opera.  About, 
five  o'clock  the  crowd  outside  the  Academy  was 
already  immense,  and  it  was  not  until  seven  that  we 
opened  the  doors. 

The  rush  was  great,  and  a  sad  incident  now 
took  place.  A  lady  in  the  crowd  who  had  pur- 
chased her  ticket  beforehand  was  taken  up  from 
the  bottom  of  the  staircase  to  the  top,  though  she 
died  before  reaching  the  first  landing  from  disease 
of  the  heart,  rendered  fatal  by  the  excitement. 
Borne  upwards  by  the  dense  crowd  she  did  not  fall 
till  she  reached  the  gallery.  Fearing  the  alarm  this 
occurrence  might  cause,  the  servants,  in  order  that 
I  should  not  hear  of  it,  had  placed  the  lady  on  the 


ALB  AN  1  IN  CHICAGO.  305 

floor  of  a  little  top  private  box,  where  she  remained 
during  the  whole  of  the  performance;  her  body 
not  being  removed  by  her  friends  until  the  next 
morning. 

After  leaving  Philadelphia  we  visited  Chicago, 
where  the  advance  sale  of  seats  prior  to  our  open- 
ing reached  the  enormous  sum  of  16,000  dollars. 

On  the  evening  of  our  arrival  I  received  a  telegram 
from  Mdme.  Albani  stating  that  she  would  arrive 
early  the  following  morning.  .  I  met  her  at  the 
station.  She  was  accompanied  by  her  husband, 
Mr.  Ernest  Gye,  and  his  brother,  Commander  Gye. 
She  had  just  returned  from  some  concerts  which  I 
had  arranged  in  Albany  and  in  New  York,  where  she 
had  met  with  the  most  enthusiastic  reception. 

She  appeared  on  the  fifth  evening  of  my  first 
week  in  /  Puritani,  when  the  cold  weather  did  not 
deter  the  holders  of  tickets  from  claiming  their 
places  in  the  theatre.  At  an  early  hour,  and  long 
before  the  curtain  ran  up  for  the  first  act,  there  was 
absolutely  not  a  vacant  spot  in  the  theatre.  Albani 
was  welcomed  with  an  enthusiasm  that  even  Patti 
might  have  been  proud  of.  She  was  queen  in  the 
hearts  of  all  who  were  present  that  evening. 

On  leaving  Chicago  we  went  to  St.  Louis,  where 
our  triumphs  were  again  repeated  ;  Mdme.  Albani, 
Mdme.  Patti,  and  Scalchi  all  contributing  to  the 
immense  success. 

About  this  time  several  of  my  songbirds  began  to 
take  cold,  the  weather  having  suddenly  changed. 

VOL.  i.  X 


306  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

Mdme.  Patti  had  to  remain  at  home,  Mdrae.  Scalchi 
took  to  her  bed,  as  also  did  Mdme.  Fursch-Madi  and 
Mdme.  Albani.  The  duty,  therefore,  of  singing  fell 
to  Mdlle.  Dotti,  who  for  three  nights  in  succession 
sustained  the  prima  donna  duties,  giving  much 
satisfaction  under  the  circumstances. 

Patti,  however,  was  able  to  resume  work  the 
following  night  in  La  Traviata;  Mdme.  Albani 
singing  "  Lohengrin  "  at  the  morning  performance 
of  the  next  day,  w.hilst  Mdlle.  Dotti  closed  the 
season  by  singing  "  Margherita  "  in  Faust  the  same 
evening. 

I  was  naturally  very  anxious  about  my  singers. 
We  had  to  leave  by  special  train  at  one  o'clock  in 
the  morning  in  order  to  reach  Cincinnati ;  and  as  it 
was  now  some  40  degrees  below  freezing  point,  I 
left  the  ballet,  chorus,  and  orchestra  to  sleep  in  the 
railway  carriages,  which  were  shunted  up  a  siding. 
Those  who  went  to  the  hotel  had  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  reaching  it. 

On  ascertaining  that  nearly  every  place  had  been 
sold  for  the  whole  of  the  Festival  week,  I  entered  at 
once  into  arrangements  for  giving  two  additional 
nights  in  the  succeeding  week,  on  which  I  arranged 
that  Patti  should  sing  "  Aida "  and  Albani 
"  Margherita  "  in  Faust. 

The  first  performance  at  the  great  Festival  was 
La  Traviata,  followed  by  L'Africaine,  magnificently 
placed  upon  the  stage.  On  the  Wednesday  after- 
noon Mdme.  Albani  appeared  as  "  Amina "  in  La 


TH1KD  CINCINNATI  OPERA  FESTIVAL.          307 

Sonnambula,  and  in  the  evening  Will-inn  Tell  was 
given,  with  Mierzwinski,  Galassi,  and  Dotti.  This 
drew  the  largest  number  of  people  of  any  night 
during  the  week,  the  great  choruses  of  the  Gather- 
ing of  the  Cantons  eliciting  the  loudest  expressions 
of  admiration.  On  the  Thursday  evening  we  per- 
formed Rossini's  Semiramide,  Patti  and  Scalchi 
surpassing  themselves.  On  the  following  evening 
Wagner's  Flying  Dutchman  was  produced,  with 
Ravelli,  Galassi,  and  Albani.  The  next  morning 
came  Don  Giovanni;  with  Fursch-Madi  as  "  Donna 
Anna;  "  Dotti  as  "  Elvira; "  and  Patti  as  "  Zerlina." 
The  first  week  was  brought  to  a  fitting  close  by  a 
splendid  performance  of  Lohengrin;  Mierzwinski 
performing  the  "Knight  of  the  Swan;"  Galassi, 
"  Telcamund ; "  Monti,  the  "King;'1  Scalchi, 
"Ortruda;"  and  Albani,  "  Elsa." 

This  Festival,  without  going  into  details,  surpassed 
the  two  preceding  ones. 

Everyone,  I  believe,  made  money.  All  the 
spring  fashions  were  introduced  in  the  leading 
stores  of  the  city,  whilst  visitors  came  in  from  many 
hundreds  of  miles.  The  hotels  were  crowded,  and 
people  were  sleeping  even  in  the  corridors.  The  rail- 
ways were  making  money,  and  the  cabmen  making 
fortunes,  from  the  high  charges  they  taxed  the 
public  with. 

The  Music  Hall  was  nightly  crowded  to  its  utmost 
limit,  there  being  never  less  than  7,000  people  pre- 
sent ;  and  one  representation  surpassed  the  other 


308  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

till  all  ended  in  one  great  excitement.  The  news- 
papers in  the  city  were  taken  up  almost  exclusively 
with  the  Festival.  Nothing  was  thought  of  but  the 
Festival,  and  all  business  appeared  to  be  suspended. 
The  toilettes  of  the  ladies  were  something  to  be 
remembered. 

On  February  18,  1882,  prior  to  my  leaving 
Cincinnati,  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  Mayor's 
Office,  when  my  attendance  was  requested.  To  my 
astonishment  and  delight  the  highest  possible  com- 
pliment was  now  paid  me ;  for  I  was  presented  with 
the  freedom  of  the  city,  which  was  given  to  me  in  a 
valuable  casket,  Mayor  Means  explaining  that  since 
the  history  of  the  city  no  similar  compliment  had 
been  paid  even  to  one  of  their  own  citizens,  much 
less  to  an  Englishman.  This  was  followed  by  a 
grand  banquet  at  the  Club,  where,  amongst  others, 
I  had  the  honour  of  making  the  acquaintance  of  Mr. 
Reuben  Springer,  the  donor  of  the  magnificent  hall 
in  which  the  Festival  had  been  held. 

I  omitted,  however,  to  mention  that  my  friend 
Abbey  was  determined,  if  possible,  to  injure  this 
Festival,  for  which  purpose  he  brought  Madame 
Nilsson  into  the  town,  and  kept  her  there  during 
the  whole  of  the  week,  with  a  Company  of  artists, 
who  sang  at  some  small  theatre.  I  need  hardly  say 
that  no  harm  whatever  was  done  to  the  receipts, 
which  totalled  up  to  40,000  dollars  more  than  any 
of  .the  preceding  Festivals  had  brought. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

GALASSI  DISTINGUISHES  HIMSELF — POLITENESS  OF  PRIME 
DONNE — ENGLISH  WELCOME  IN  CANADA — CONCERT  AT 
THE  WHITE  HOUSE — VALUE  OF  PATTI' s  NOTES — 
PHANTOM  SHIP  WRECKED  —  NILSSON'S  CONTRACT — 
PATTI'S  CONTRACT — RETURN  TO  ENGLAND. 

THE  Company  now  left  for  Detroit.  Our  season 
opened  with  Albani  as  "  Lucia ; "  and  for  the 
following  night  Semiramide  was  announced,  with 
Adelina  Patti  and  Scalchi.  Unfortunately  Mdme. 
Patti  had  taken  cold,  and  was  unable  to  sing. 
It  appeared  that  on  arriving  at  the  station  she  had 
had  to  walk  through  piles  of  snow  for  some  distance 
in  order  to  reach  her  carriage. 

At  one  time  the  public  threatened  to  demolish  the 
building,  so  disappointed  were  they;  especially  as 
Mdme.  Patti  had  also  failed  to  appear  in  that  same 
city  the  previous  year. 

It  was  at  once  put  down  (as  these  things  generally 
are)  to  caprice  on  the  part  of  the  priraa  donna,  or 
a  trick  on  that  of  the  operatic  manager.  I,  there- 


310  THE  MAPLE  SON  MEM  01  US. 

fore,  at  once  sought  Dr.  Brodie,  au  eminent  physician 
of  Detroit,  and  he  furnished  a  certificate  as  to  the 
Diva's  illness. 

Despite  the  change  of  the  bill,  a  good-sized 
audience  remained  for  Verdi's  tragic  opera  of  // 
Trovatore. 

On  the  closing  night  we  performed  Guillaume 
Tellt  in  which  Signor  Galassi  particularly  distin- 
guished himself.  According  to  one  of  the  journals, 
which  nppeared  the  following  morning,  so  dexter- 
ously did  he  shoot  the  apple  off  his  son's  head  that 
he  might  always  be  sure  of  a  warm  welcome  when- 
ever he  returned  to  that  city. 

Rival  prime  donne — those,  at  least,  who  have 
the  habits  of  polite  society — are  very  particular  in 
calling  on  one  another,  though  these  visits  are  some- 
times of  a  highly  formal  kind.  During  my  American 
season  of  1883  I  was  associated  with  Mr.  Gye;  and 
it  so  happened  that  Nicoliui  and  Patti,  Ernest 
Gye  and  Albani  (Mrs.  Ernest  Gye)  were  staying  at 
Detroit  in  the  same  hotel  where  I  also  had  put  up. 
Patti  and  Kicolini  having  just  gone  for  a  drive, 
Madame  Albani,  seeing  them  pass  beneath  her 
window,  called  out  to  her  husband  — 

"  Ernest,  they  have  gone  out.  We  had  better 
leave  cards  on  them  at  once." 

On  returning  home  Madame  Patti  duly  received 
the  cards ;  and  an  hour  or  two  afterwards,  when 
Albaiii  and  Mr.  Gye  had  just  gone  to  the  theatre, 
where  there  was  to  be  a  rehearsal,  said  to  Nicolini  — 


POLITENESS  OF  PRIME  DONNE.  311 

"  Ernest"  (his  name,  also,  was  Ernest),  "  they  have 
gone  to  the  theatre.  Now  is  the  time  for  returning 
their  visit." 

As  Madame  Patti  was  still  suffering  from  a 
very  severe  cold,  I  thought  it  prudent  to  leave  her 
behind  at  Detroit,  for  the  purpose  not  only  of  re- 
establishing herself,  but  of  assuring  the  public  that 
she  was  really  ill.  She  remained  there  some  four  or 
five  days  after  we  had  left. 

The  whole  Company,  except  Madame  Patti,  had  to 
muster  at  the  station  about  2  a.m.  to  start  for 
Canada.  By  some  mismanagement  on  the  part  of 
the  railway  company,  there  being  two  competing 
lines,  with  but  one  set  of  rails  running  into  the  joint 
station,  the  artists  were  kept  waiting  at  this  station 
for  over  a  couple  of  hours,  the  wind  bitterly  cold, 
and  the  thermometer  some  fifty  degrees  below  freez- 
ing point.  At  length,  to  the  joy  of  all,  our  special 
was  drawn  up  alongside  the  platform,  and  we  were 
enabled  to  make  a  start,  arriving  at  Toronto  the 
following  afternoon. 

The  next  morning  the  musicians  all  came  to  me 
in  great  despair,  the  Canadian  Custom  House  autho- 
rities having  seized  the  whole  of  their  instruments  as 
liable  to  duty.  The  same  difficulty  occurred  with 
the  wardrobes  and  properties  ;  and  it  was  not  until 
very  late  in  the  day,  by  going  through  a  course  of 
red-tape,  which  reminded  one  of  the  old  country, 
that  they  could  be  released,  I  giving  an  undertaking 
that  the  troupe  should  leave  Canada  within  t\vo  days. 


312  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIHS. 

A  right  royal  English  welcome  did  our  Company 
receive  there.  Prior  to  the  performance  I  requested 
Arditi  to  play  the  National  Authem.  The  whole  of 
the  audience  stood  up,  and,  on  its  conclusion,  gave 
three  hearty  cheers.  Nearly  all  the  private  box,  dress 
circle,  and  stall  ticket-holders  arrived  in  open  sleighs, 
the  snow  being  very  thick. 

The  opening  performance  was  11  Trovatoret  in 
which  Mierzwinski,  Galassi,  Scalchi,  and  Fursch- 
Madi  appeared,  giving  great  satisfaction.  The  excel- 
lence of  the  representation  was  quite  a  revelation  to 
the  public,  as  it  were. 

On  the  following  night  Madame  Albani  appeared 
as  "  Lucia,''  when  the  parquette,  balconies,  and 
boxes  were  crowded  with  the  elite  of  the  city,  the 
Lieutenant-Governor  occupying  the  gubernatorial 
box. 

The  galleries  were  likewise  crowded  to  their 
fullest  capacity,  standing  room  even  being  at  a 
premium.  Albani  was  welcomed  with  vociferous 
cheers,  and  her  performance  throughout  received 
the  warmest  approbation. 

Immediately  after  the  conclusion  of  our  grand 
two-night  season  in  Canada  our  special  train  was 
put  in  motion  towards  Buffalo,  where  we  per- 
formed the  following  evening,  leaving  again  after 
the  performance  at  2  a.m.  for  Pittsburg,  at 
which  place  Mdme.  Patti  had  arrived  the  previous 
day. 

At  Pittsburg  the  season  opened  most  auspiciously 


VALUE  OF  PAT'lTS  NOTES.  313 

with  La  Traviata.  The  theatre  itself  was  not  only 
crowded  to  the  ceiling,  but  we  charged  five  dollars 
a  head  for  standing  room  on  the  window  sills. 

The  following  night  Mdme.  Albani  appeared  as 
"  Margherita "  in  Faust,  supported  by  Ravelli, 
Scalchi,  etc. 

A  matinee  was  given  the  next  day  of  II  Trovatore, 
followed  by  a  splendid  performance  the  same  even- 
ing of  William  Tell.  On  each  occasion  the  house 
was  crammed. 

The  Company  had  again  to  muster  at  2  a.m.  after 
the  performance  to  start  for  Washington,  at  which 
place  we  arrived  the  following  evening,  Mdme. 
Albani  opening  the  next  day  as  "  Margherita "  in 
Faust. 

The  next  evening  I  had  to  change  the  perform- 
ance, la  Dica  having  contracted  a  sore  throat  during 
the  journey.  I  substituted  William  Tell,  postponing 
Mdme.  Patti's  debut  until  the  following  night,  when 
she  and  Scalchi  captivated  the  audience  with  Semi" 
ramide.  In  a  letter  to  the  papers  the  following 
morning  a  mathematician  stated  that  by  care- 
fully counting  the  notes  in  the  part  of  Semiramide, 
and  dividing  the  result  by  the  sum  paid  nightly 
to  Patti  for  singing  that  part,  he  discovered  that 
she  received  exactly  42|  cents  for  each  of  the  notes 
that  issued  from  her  throat.  This  was  found  to  be 
just  7-^  cents  per  note  more  than  Rossini  got  for 
writing  the  whole  opera. 

On  the  following  Friday  President  Arthur  gave  a 


314  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

private  concert  at  the  White  House.    I  here  append 
the  programme: — 

PART  I. 
Dnetto— "Sull'aria"  (Nozzn  di  Figaro)    .        .         .        Mozart. 

Milme.  Furech-Madi  and  Mdlle.  Dotti. 
Romania — "  Angelo  Casto  "  (Duca  d'Alba)   postbumous   opera 

by  Donizetti.     Signer  Frapolli. 
Cavatina — Tacca  la  notte  (Trovatore)        .        •        •  Verdi. 

Mdme.  Fursch-Madi. 
Aria  Buffa— Miei  rumpolli  (Cenerentola)  .         .         .         Rossini. 

Signer  Corsini. 

Air — Voi  clie  eapete  (Nozze  di  Figaro)     •         •         .         Mozart. 
Mdlle.  Dotti. 

An  Interval  of  Half  an  Hoar. 


PART  II. 
Trio — Qual  Volotta  (Lombardi)        .        •        .        .  Verdi. 

Mdme.  Fursch-Madi,  Signor  Frapolli,  and  Signor  Qalassi. 
Cavatina—"  Nobil  Signor "  (Huguenots)  .         .         .     Meyerbeer. 

Mdme.  ScalchL 
Roinanza — O  tu  bel  astro  (Tannhauser)     •         •        «        Wagner. 

Signor  Galassi. 
of  Air— "Pur  dicesti"     ....»,  Lotii. 

&(Song— "Robin  Adair" 

Madame  Albani. 

The  White  Honse, 

February  23,  1888. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  concert  a  splendid  supper 
was  served  in  the  banqueting  hall.  As  I  had  to 
attend  upon  no  less  than  five  ladies,  the  President 
observed  at  the  close  of  the  feast  that  I  had  had 
nothing  to  eat  myself.  He,  therefore,  gave  orders 
that  on  the  departure  of  the  guests  another  supper 
should  be  served,  at  which  he  occupied  the  chair. 


AT  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  315 

The  repast  was  really  of  the  first  order.  It  was 
interspersed  with  excellent  Veuve  Clicquot,  and  the 
President  afterwards  ordered  in  cigars  and  related 
to  rue  some  most  interesting  anecdotes  of  his  earlier 
career.  He  also  gave  me  an  account  of  the  alarm 
felt  at  New  York  when  one  Sunday  the  Merrimac 
was  expected  to  come  up  the  bay  in  order  to  levy 
contributions  on  the  city ;  there  being  no  powder 
in  the  forts  and  but  few  cannon  balls,  all  of  the 
wrong  calibre.  Fortunately  she  met  the  Monitor, 
who  soon  gave  a  good  account  of  her. 

"We  gave  a  grand  matinee  the  following  day,  with 
Patti  as  "  La  Traviata,"  when  people  paid  even  for 
standing  in  the  passages,  where  they  could  only 
occasionally  hear  sounds. 

At  the  close  of  'the  morning  performance  our 
special  train  started  for  Boston,  where  we  arrived 
late  the  next  day. 

Here  further  calculations  were  made  in  the  daily 
papers  as  to  the  value  of  Patti's  notes,  Semiramide 
showing  30  cents,  for  every  note  she  sang,  whilst  in 
"Lucia"  the  rate  of  42J  cents,  per  note  was  reached. 

We  afterwards  performed  Faust  with  Albani, 
and  some  of  the  grand  operas,  such  as  JjAfricaine, 
Les  Huguenots,  Lohengrin,  and  Aida.  Towards  the 
close  of  our  engagement  Wagner's  Flying  Dutchman 
was  given  for  the  first  time  on  the  Italian  stage  at 
Boston. 

A  rather  startling  event  occurred  during  the  first 
act  on  the  arrival  of  the  Phantom  Ship,  which,  after 


316  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIRS. 

sweeping  gracefully  round,  broadside  to  the  audience, 
suddenly  capsized,  casting  the  Dutchman  and  his 
crew  promiscuously  on  to  the  stage,  the  masts 
going  straight  across  the  occupants  of  the  stalls 
and  the  sails  covering  Arditi,  who  was  then  at  the 
desk. 

At  this  juncture  loud  screams  were  heard.  They 
came  from  the  wife  of  the  principal  baritone,  who, 
witnessing  the  accident,  had  fears  for  her  husband's 
safety.  The  choristers,  who  were  thrown  pell-mell 
into  the  water,  and  on  to  their  stomachs,  began 
with  a  great  deal  of  tact  to  strike  out  as  if  swim- 
ming, until — as  soon  as  possible — the  curtain  was 
lowered.  The  ship  was  soon  set  on  its  keel  again, 
but  nothing  could  induce  Galassito  board  the  vessel. 

At  the  close  of  the  Boston  engagement,  which 
was  highly  successful,  we  returned  to  New  York, 
where  we  remained  some  five  weeks,  performing  a 
different  opera  almost  nightly. 

About  this  time  I  learned  that  the  Washington 
and  Lee  University  for  promoting  higher  education 
in  the  South  was  in  great  need  of  funds.  I,  there- 
fore, notified  General  Lilly,  of  Virginia,  who  had 
been  interested  in  that  institution  for  years,  my 
willingness  to  assist  by  giving  a  miscellaneous  per- 
formance for  that  purpose.  A  committee  of  dis- 
tinguished ladies  was  formed  to  superintend  the 
distribution  of  the  tickets,  including  Mrs.  General 
Dix,  Mrs.  Franklin  Edson,  Mrs.  August  Belmont, 
Mrs.  G.  Rives,  Mrs.  Livingstone,  Mrs.  Jay,  Mrs. 


WASHINGTON  UNIVERSITY  CONCERT.       317 

Pierre  Lorillard,  Mrs.  Frederick  Kernochan,  Mrs. 
Henry  Clewes,  Mrs.  Pryor,  Mrs.  General  Hancock, 
Mrs.  Barton  French,  Mrs.  W.  C.  "Whitney,  Mrs. 
Vanderbilt,  Baroness  de  Thomson,  Mrs.  Bowdoin, 
Mrs.  Alonzo  B.  Cornell,  Mrs.  Benjamin  Willis,  Mrs. 
F.  B.  Thurber,  etc.,  etc. 

The  appearance  of  the  Academy,  on  this  occasion 
filled  by  a  most  brilliant  audience,  was  a  thing  long 
to  be  remembered.  The  evening  commenced  with 
an  act  of  Trovatore,  which  was  followed  by  the 
appearance  of  Mdme.  Albani  in  the  first  act  of 
Norma.  A  more  beautiful  rendering  of  the  lovely 
cavatina  "  Casta  Diva "  could  not  have  been 
heard,  Mdme.  Albani's  vocalization  being  really 
the  perfection  of  art.  She  was  recalled  several 
times,  and  covered  with  flowers.  An  act  from 
Meyerbeer's  Dinorah  carne  next,  with  Mdme.  Patti 
and  Scalchi.  Both  left  the  stage  loaded  with 
flowers,  Patti  coming  forward  at  the  close  and 
afterwards  good-naturedly  singing  in  front  of  the 
drop  curtain  "  Home,  sweet  Home." 

A  scene  then  followed  not  put  down  in  the  pro- 
gramme, in  the  shape  of  a  presentation  to  myself  of 
two  large  and  handsome  silk  flags,  one  English  and 
the  other  American,  the  gift  of  the  ladies  of  the 
committee  ;  each  of  the  white  stars  on  the  blue 
ground  of  the  American  flag  having  been  inserted 
by  a  member  of  this  committee. 

I  thanked  the  ladies  in  a  grateful  speech, 
shouldered  my  lofty  flags,  and  left  the  stage  amidst 


318  THE  MAPLESON  MEMOIPS. 

loud  cheering.  The  receipts  amounted  to  some 
£1,800.  About  a  fortnight  afterwards  I  was  in- 
formed by  General  Lilley  that  a  chair  of  English 
literature  had  been  established  at  the  University 
bearing  my  name. 

The  following  Saturday  morning  La  Travinta  was 
again  given,  the  house  being  even  more  crowded 
than  usual.  The  bank  having  closed  prior  to  the 
termination  of  the  performance,  the  monies  were  all 
placed  in  the  iron  safe. 

Early  the  following  morning  I  was  informed  that 
one  of  the  doors  leading  fco  the  treasury  had  been 
forced  open,  the  floor  of  which  was  strewn  with 
tickets  and  furniture.  Worse  still,  the  iron  safe  had 
been  opened  and  rifled  of  its  coatents;  over  21,500 
dollars  having  been  carried  off.  Fortunately  this 
amount  was  for  the  most  part  in  cheques,  which  I 
succeeded  in  stopping  at  the  bank ;  but  the  loss  in 
hard  cash  exceeded  £1,600. 

About  this  time  further  rumours  were  in  circula- 
tion as  to  Mr.  Abbey  trying  to  take  away  several  of 
my  best  singers,  notably  both  Patti  and  Galassi. 

During  the  New  York  season  I  sent  Mdme.  Albani 
to  sing  in  a  concert  at  Montreal,  the  railway  directors 
providing  a  special  car  for  her.  On  her  arrival  she 
was  received  by  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  of  the  city  ; 
also  by  a  guard  of  honour  of  200  men  in  uniform, 
besides  the  members  of  four  snow-shoe  clubs  in  their 
beautiful  and  picturesque  costumes. 

A  reception  was  afterwards  held  at  the  H6tel  de 


ALBANI'S  SUCCESS  AT  MONTREAL.          319 

Ville,  when  a  formal  address  was  handed  to  Mdrae. 
Albani  on  a  beautifully  illuminated  scroll.  All  the 
tickets  being  instantly  sold  out,  two  more  concerts 
had  to  be  given ;  and  Mdme.  Albani  returned  to 
New  York  in  time  to  sing  the  following  Friday, 
having  netted  for  the  treasury  16,000  dollars  by  her 
three  days'  visit  to  Montreal. 

Shortly  afterwards  I  gave  a  combined  perform- 
ance for  the  benefit  of  the  New  York  Exchange  for 
Woman's  Work.  Again  I  had  a  ladies'  committee 
to  work  with,  including  the  charming  Mrs.  F.  B. 
Thurbei,  who  acted  as  secretary,  the  president  being 
Mrs.  W.  G.  Choate,  while  the  vice-presidents  con- 
sisted of  some  forty  leading  ladies  of  New  York. 
The  entertainment  consisted  of  a  concert  in  which 
Mdme.  Adelina  Patti,  Mdme.  Albani,  Mdme.  Scalchi, 
Nicolini,  and  others  of  the  Company  appeared. 

I  append  the  programme,  in  which  will  be  found 
several  features  of  interest,  including,  in  particular, 
the  singing  of  Mozart's  delightful  duet  by  Patti  and 
Albani. 

PART  I. 

Overture — "  Egmont" Beethoven 

Orchestra. 
Romanza — "  0  lieti,  di"  (Etoile  du  Nord)         .         .     Meyerbeer 

Monsieur  Durat. 

Aria — "  Nobil  Signer"  (Huguenots)          .         .         .     Meyerbeer 
Madame  Scalchi. 

Ballade  et  Polonaise. Vievxtemps 

Herr  Brandt. 

Cavatina — "  Qui  la  voce  "  (Pnritani)          ;         .         .          Btllini 
Madame  Albani. 


320 


Tin-:  MAPLE  SON  MI-:  MO/ /:s. 


Romnnza — "  Vicn,  ricn  m'e  noto"  (Velleda)      .         .      Lenepreu 

Signer  Nicolini. 

Valse — "  Nell*  ebrezza"  (Romeo  e  Giulietta)     .         .          Gounod 
Madame  Adelina  Patti. 

Ballet,  Silvia Delibes 

Orchestra. 

PART   II. 

L'invitation  a  la  Valse       ...•••  Wtbcr 

Orchestra. 

Ballade — "  Ouvre  ta  porte  " Grieg 

Signer  Ravelli. 
Hungarian  Fnntaisie         ......  Liszt 

(With  orchestra) 

Herr  Rafael  Joseffy. 

Duetto,  "  Still  aria  "  (Nozze  di  Figaro)      .         .        .         Jdosart 

Madame  Adelina  Patti  and  Madame  Albani. 
Garotte — "  In  veder  1'amata  stanza"  (Mignon)  .         .         Thomas 

Madame  Scalchi. 

Romanza — "  M'appari "  (Martha)  .        .        .          Flotow 

Signor  Ravelli. 

Rakoczy  March Berlioz 

Orchestra. 

After  the  concert  the  ladies  presented  me  on  the 
stage  with  a  magnificent  gold  badge,  bearing  the 
English  arms  on  one  side,  surmounted  with  diamonds 
and  rubies,  and  the  American  arms  on  the  other; 
also  an  elegant  walking  cane  with  a  massive  gold 
top,  crowned  by  a  very  large  uncut  sapphire  of  great 
value. 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Gye  came  to  me  with  the 
alarming  intelligence  that  the  lease  of  the  new 
Metropolitan  Opera-house  had  been  given  to  Mr. 
Abbey.  He  complained  bitterly  of  the  treatment 
he  had  received  at  the  hands  of  its  Directors 


NILS  SON'S  COX  TRACT.  321 

after  the  trouble  he  had  taken  in  furnishing  them 
\vith  the  interior  plans  and  workings  of  Covent 
Garden  Theatre,  in  order  to  assist  the  architect 
to  get  as  complete  a  building  as  possible.  He 
had  been  negotiating  with  the  Directors  on  behalf 
of  the  Royal  Italian  Opera  Company,  Covent 
Garden,  Limited,  and,  in  fact,  those  negotiations 
had  never  been  broken  off.  He  was  still  awaiting 
an  answer  from  the  Committee,  to  whom  the  matter 
had  been  referred. 

Mr.  Abbey  having  announced  that  he  would  open 
the  New  Metropolitan  Opera-house  with  Madame 
Nilsson,  Mr.  Gye  informed  me  that  she  was  under 
contract  to  sing  with  our  Company,  and  showed 
me  the  following  engagement : — 

"  London,  2nd  May,  1882. 

"Madame  Christine  Nilsson  agrees  to  accept  an 
engagement  with  Mr.  Gye  to  sing  either  for  him  or 
for  the  Royal  Italian  Opera  Company,  Limited,  in 
London,  during  the  season  of  1883,  at  a  salary  of 
£200  per  night.  Madame  Nilsson  also  agrees  to 
accept  an  engagement  for  America  for  the  season  of 
1883-1884,  for  fifty  or  sixty  representations,  operas, 
concerts,  or  oratorios,  at  a  salary  of  £300  per  night, 
this  to  include  all  hotel  expenses,  but  not  travelling. 
Madame  Nilsson  agrees  also  to  sing  for  five  or  six 
nights  at  Covent  Garden  during  next  July,  the 
repertoire  for  Madame  Nilsson  being  Mignon,  Lohen- 
grin, Don  Giovanni,  Mefistofele,  and  Faust  if 

VOL.  I.  Y 


322  THE  MAPLESON  MEUulliS. 

possible,  which  Mr.  Gye  agrees  to  do  bi«*  be.ef-  to 
obtain  for  her  in  London,  18S3,  and  in  America,  her 
repertoire  to  be  the  same,  and  other  operas  by 
common  consent.  No  opera  is  to  belong  to  Madame 
Nilsson  exclusively,  except  one  opera  that  she  may 
create,  and  that  for  one  season.  Should  Madame 
Nilsson  wish  to  remain  in  America  in  the  summer 
of  1884  she  is  to  be  at  liberty  to  do  so,  and  should 
she  wish  to  return  to  England,  Mr.  Gye  engages 
himself  for  her  to  sing  in  London  during  the  London 
season  on  the  same  conditions.  Mr.  Gye  binds  him- 
self to  accept  the  engagement  now  in  preparation. 
"  (Signed)  CHBISHNE  NILSSON  ROUZAUD." 

Despite  this,  however,  Madame  Nilsson  signed  with 
Mr.  Abbey,  receiving  a  sum  considerably  in  excess  of 
the  one  stipulated  for  in  the  Gye  engagement. 

In  the  meantime  further  rumours  were  getting 
circulated  with  regard  to  Mr.  Abbey's  razzia  on  my 
singers,  and  the  daily  papers  were  full  of  our 
disputes  and  recriminations ;  with  which  I  will 
not  trouble  the  reader  just  now.  On  the  conclusion 
of  our  New  York  season  we  again  returned  to 
Philadelphia,  in  consequence  of  the  success  of  our 
previous  visit,  opening  there  with  the  Flying  Dutch- 
man. The  next  night  VEtoile  du  Nord  was  performed 
with  the  peerless  Adelina,  followed  by  Lohenyrin 
with  the  charming  "  Elsa"  of  Albani.  Thus  we  con- 
tinued our  triumphant  career. 


iTrs  CONTRACT.  823 

Mr.  Abbey  had  begun  his  intrigues  with  Cam- 
panmi,  to  whom  he  offered  1,000  dollars  (£200)  a 
night.  He  now  proposed  a  similar  amount  to  Scalchi 
and  a  considerable  sura  to  Valleria,  whilst  his 
employes  were  hard  at  work  round  the  stage- 
door  taking  away  my  choruses,  wardrobe  keepers, 
and  even  the  stage-manager.  All  my  people,  in 
short,  were  offered  three  or  four  times  their  usual 
salaries,  merely  for  the  sake  of  injuring  me,  without 
Mr.  Abbey's  benefiting  himself  in  any  way.  I 
described  him,  to  an  interviewer,  as  a  guastomcstiere  ; 
a  word  which  sorely  puzzled  him,  and  caused  him 
to  consult  his  solicitor. 

I  now  endeavoured  to  make  sure  of  Patti,  and  she 
eventually  consented  to  make  a  small  reduction  in 
her  terms  and  to  accept  4,000  dollars  a  night. 

In  due  course  her  contract  had  been  prepared  by 
her  agent  and  a  day  fixed  for  executing  it,  which 
happened  to  be  a  Thursday.  Being  much  occupied 
that  day  at  the  theatre  in  consequence  of  troubles 
of  various  sorts  I  found  it  too  late  to  get  up  to 
Mdme.  Patti's  hotel,  but  went  the  following  morning 
early.  Nicolini  explained  to  me  that  Mdme.  Patti 
never  did  anything  on  a  Friday,  and  that  I  had 
better  call  the  next  dny.  The  day  afterwards  he  in- 
formed me  that,  soon  after  I  had  left,  Mr.  Abbey  had 
come  to  Mdme.  Patti  saying  that  he  could  offer 
her  a  minimum  of  5,000  dollars  (£1,000)  a  night, 
payment  to  be  made  on  the  morning  of  each  per- 


324  THE  MAPLESON  MElluUiS. 

forraance,  and  50,000  deposited  in  the  bank  as  pay- 
ment for  the  last  ten  nights  of  the  engagement,  and 
that  Mr.  W.  H.  Vanderbilt  would  sign  the  contract 
and  give  her  the  requisite  guarantees. 

This  was  not  the  only  inducement  he  offered  her 
if  she  would  link  her  fortunes  with  the  new 
Metropolitan  Opera-house  the  following  season.  She 
was  further  to  have  a  special  private  drawing-room 
and  sleeping  car,  the  like  of  which  had  never  yet 
been  run  on  rails,  to  be  specially  built  for  her,  fitted 
with  a  conservatory,  fernery,  &c. 

There  was  no  reason,  however,  why  these  pro- 
positions should  interfere  with  the  formal  accept- 
ance of  a  contract  already  drawn  up  and  verbally 
agreed  to.  The  next  day,  then,  about  11  o'clock,  I 
was  going  in  joyously  to  sign  my  contract  when 
I  was  met  by  Signer  Nicolini  at  the  door,  who  told 
me  that  a  very  dreadful  thing  had  happened  since 
he  last  saw  me.  On  my  inquiring  what  it  was  he 
informed  me  that  Mr.  Abbey's  visit  had  quite 
upset  Mdme.  Patti,  who  was  ill  in  her  room.  She 
had  not  even  spoken  to  the  parrot,  which  was 
a  sad  sign.  He  then  communicated  to  me  Mr. 
Abbey's  proposition,  as  above. 

Nicolini,  however,  assured  me  that  Mdme.  Patti 
held  me  in  the  highest  esteem,  and  would  on  no 
account  throw  me  over,  considering  that  my  engage- 
ment with  her  would  be  just  as  good  as  Mr.  Vander- 
bilt's.  If  I  would  call  later  in  the  day,  after 
luncheon,  he  hoped  to  get  the  matter  concluded. 


ABBEY  THE   TEMPTER.  325 

He,  at  the  same  time,  gave  me  to  understand  that 
no  reduction  could  be  made  in  the  terms  which  had 
been  offered  by  Vanderbilt  through  Abbey. 

On  leaving  1  at  once  consulted  with  Mr.  Gye,  the 
General  Manager  of  the  Royal  Italian  Opera  Com- 
pany, Covent  Garden,  Limited,  and  he  fully  agreed 
with  me  that  there  was  no  alternative  but  to  accede 
to  the  terms,  the  sum  demanded  being  but  a  trifle 
more  than  Patti  had  been  receiving  throughout  the 
season  then  about  to  close.  Gye  telegraphed  the 
particulars  to  his  London  Directors. 

I  accordingly  went  round  in  the  afternoon  and 
signed  the  contract.  The  visit  of  Mr.  Abbey  to 
Mdme.  Patti  on  the  previous  day  had  meanwhile 
caused  a  rise  of  no  less  than  50,000  dollars  (£10,000) 
in  her  demands. 

Next  day  Mdme.  Patti  sailed  for  Europe  on  the 
Arizona,  Signer  Franchi,  her  agent,  remaining  be- 
hind to  complete  the  details  of  the  new  engagement. 

About  this  time  Mdme.  Cavalazzi,  my  daughter- 
in-law,  informed  me  that  she  had  had  an  offer  from 
Abbey's  agent  of  double  the  amount  I  was  paying 
her.  1  at  once  told  her  to  accept  it,  and  that  I 
would  keep  her  place  open  for  her,  when  she  could 
return  the  following  season,  by  which  time  Abbey 
would  be  closed  up.  The  following  season  she  duly 
returned,  Mr.  Abbey,  as  I  shall  afterwards  relate, 
having  duly  come  to  grief. 

Prior  to  my  departure  I  was  entertained  by  a 
number  of  my  friends  and  supporters  at  the  Manhattan 


THE  MAPLESON  MEMUIR8. 

Club.  The  dinner  was  arranged  partly  as  a  farewell 
to  me  and  partly  in  acknowledgment  of  the  aid  J  had 
given  to  young  American  artists  essaying  an  operatic 
career.  Judge  J.  R.  Brady  presided,  and  the  com- 
pany included  the  Mayor  Edson,  the  Reverend  Dr. 
Hoffman,  Recorder  Smyth,  Judge  Abraham  It.  Law- 
rence, Chief  Justice  Noah  Davis,  Judge  W.  II. 
Arnoux,  the  British  Consul  General  Booker,  Chief 
Justice  C.  P.  Daly,  General  de  Cesuola,  Chief 
Justice  Shea,  General  Stewart  L.  Wood  ford,  General 
Hancock,  Commissioner  J.  S.  Coleman,Mi\  John  H. 
Starin,  Mr.  F.  B.  Thurber,  Mr.  Aaron  Vanderpoel, 
Professor  Henry  Drisler,  Mr.  Wrn.  Steinwuy,  the 
Reverend  Professor  Seabury,  Professor  A.  Charlier, 
Mr.  Oscar  S.  Strauss,  and  many  others. 

On  the  removal  o:  tue  clotn  o  v«Jge  Brady  gave  the 
toast,  "  The  guest  of  the  evening,"  to  which  I  re- 
plied. Other  toasts  followed,  and  the  entertainment 
passed  off  merrily  enough.  Signor  Clodio,  Signor 
Ravelli,  and  Signor  Ronconi  came  in  with  the  cigars, 
and  pleasantly  varied  the  latter  portion  of  the 
evening  by  a  choice  selection  of  operatic  arias. 

At  the  close  of  the  entertainment  it  was  unani- 
mously resolved  to  charter  a  special  steamer  to  ac- 
company me  the  following  morning  down  the  bay 
conveying  those  who  were  present  at  the  dinner. 
Mr.  Starin,  who  was  sitting  at  the  table,  offered  to 
place  one  of  his  magnificent  steamers  at  their  dis- 
posal, which  was  to  leave  Pier  41,  North  River,  at  a 
quarter  to  nine  the  following  morning.  After  singing 


RETURN  TO  ENGLAND.  327 

"  Auld  Lanor  Syne  "  and  "  He's  a  jolly  good  fellow  " 
f.lie  company  separated.  Just  prior  to  my  departure 
the  following  morning  my  friends  appeared  on  the 
chartered  steamer,  which  followed  us  down  the  bav 
w>'h  a  band  of  music,  accompanied  by  hearty  cbeers 
until  we  were  out  of  sight. 


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